{Birthday Party} Baby K is One!

Having a birthday party at your house is a lot of work, y'all. Especially on the heels of your best friends wedding. But we did it and it was a HUGE success! 

By far, my favorite party decoration was the dessert table. I tried to go with a pink and white polka dot theme with the desserts as well. They included pink popcorn with white sprinkles, pink covered marshmallow treats, pink and white cupcakes, and pink lemonade with striped and polka dot straws in mason jars instead of regular cups. 

The centerpiece was her first birthday "faux" chalkboard made by Paper Dime Design and only cost $2.00 to print at Staples.

My mother-in-law made this cake, how gorgeous is that?! 

And a close-up of the "One" we made using pictures from her first year. Huge hit, by the way!

Baby K was all decked out in her pink and polka dot outfit. She had a great time seeing everyone.

That was, until she was put in her uber adorable high chair that her mommy spent so much time painting and decorating and Lost. Her. Shit.

Here I am thinking that if I hold her, she'll lose less of her shit. No such luck. 

Turns out, she was exhausted. I snuck in while the party was still going on to take a picture of our party pooper, all pooped out. 

When everything was said and done, the 25 people that we had in our shoe box sized house had a great time and we have tons of memories to share with Baby K once she's old enough. 

And here is a last shot  of some of the details before they were taken down. 

Links: Popcorn Recipe - Marshmallow Recipe - Straws - Faux Chalkboard - Bunting Template - Crown - Onesie - Bloomers - Mason Jars - Polka Dot Balloons - Fabric garland handmade by me

{Monthly Baby Update} One Year!

I'm One!
Weight: 23 lbs., 14 oz. (88th percentile)
Height: 31.5 inches (apparently her height is off the chart)
Clothing Size: Still in either 18 months or 12-18 months. However, I am starting to see that some of her 18 month clothing is starting to get a little snug.  
Diaper Size: Size 4
Feeding:  Feeding is still REALLY difficult. She is still not interested in "real" food, which has been frustrating. The doctor assured us that this is normal and it can take introducing a food up to 15 times in order for a baby to take to it. So we'll just continue to introduce and cross our fingers that one day it will stick. We're in the process of transitioning her from formula to whole milk which will make our wallet happy - Formula is crazy expensive! She's still taking three, 8-10 oz. bottles/day and eating "real" food/baby food twice a day. Our goal going forward is to lower her milk intake slightly and introduce more "real" food. 
Milestones: Baby Girl is cruising! She's not walking by herself, yet, but she can get around the living room with the help of our ottoman, couch and chairs.

Don't mind of all the crap laying around. Yes, we use our banister to hang hats.  She is working on a 5th tooth right now. She's taking it like a champ! Baby Girl is pointing at everything. On our walks, she'll even point in the direction of a dog and say "daaaaaaaa" (which is her version of dog). She's definitely very expressive with her hands. We're noticing that she has a very dainty side to her. 

This is her "I don't know" response. Usually accompanied by a shoulder shrug. 

Loves: Playing with anything other than her toys. So this includes - opening the broiler (where I keep cookie sheets), opening the pantry, standing and holding on to her stroller, finding cords under our entertainment center, banging on the fireplace, climbing up the stairs. Just to name a few.  Another favorite is standing up in her crib and tossing her small blankets. She thinks it's great.  She is still a huge fan of giving hugs and kisses. I hope that never goes away.
Hates: Still not a fan of food.  Looking forward to: Baby K taking her first steps. Celebrating the holidays with her - Starting with the pumpkin patch and trick-or-treating!

{Adventures In} Starting Birthday Traditions Pt. 1

In the months leading up to Baby K's first birthday, I decided to find come up with my own amazing birthday traditions in the hopes that at least some element of the tradition can be duplicated every year. Not only will this make Baby K excited for her birthday every year, but you can also get some amazing comparison pictures as well. Here are a few ideas of what I found on Pinterest came up with.

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What child wouldn't like a crib full of balloons to play with!? Just like a giant ball pit, but way better. Just blow up 30 (or so) balloons and you've got yourself one amazing birthday picture. Once your child is out of their crib, you can move the balloons to the door and create either a curtain or an "avalanche".

             

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Next up! Donut birthday cake a la' Little Baby Garvin. This is a great idea if your Little One is having a birthday party in a few days but you want to make their actual day special as well. It's great for a first birthday because the donut shape is perfect for little hands to grab a hold of. This is another tradition that can grow with your child because eating donuts (at any age) never gets old. Right?

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Lastly, your little one takes a picture with a picture of themselves. What a great way to commemorate your Little One's first birthday - just use a newborn picture of them! As they grow older, you can choose to keep the same newborn picture, or take one of them the year before. Either way, you can't go wrong!

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So, how did we do?

We were definitely able to start some of these birthday traditions!  But documenting these traditions did not really go the way I had expected/anticipated/beendreamingofsinceforever.

You've seen the good, now it's time to see the bad and the realistic. 

{Gift Guide} Baby K's First Birthday Presents

Baby K celebrated her first birthday a few days ago (more on that later) and I was really overwhelmed by the amount of love and thought that went into the gifts that she was given. In addition to getting everything on her wish list (previous post here), she was also gifted with many more incredible items - Baby K is one lucky lady! So I've compiled a list of just some of the gifts that my family and friends gave her (yes, she received even more than this).

Tea Set - Rocking Horse - Baby Doll - Popper Push Toy - Stroller Blanket - Walker Wagon - Chatter Telephone - Pig Ride-on - Board Book - Wood Puzzle - Farm - Shape Sorter - Drum Set

Once she spends more time with her gifts, I will definitely do a 12-13 month favorite post.  So far the drum set, shape sorter and farm and are a HUGE hit! But she's still a little leery of her ride-on toys. However, I'm sure it will only be a matter of time until she's tearing around the house in her Radio Flyer Wagon.