I know parents usually joke that with the first child you do everything by the book: sterilize, keep away from hazards, and record every breath as a milestone…then by child #2 you are a bit more relaxed, you don’t have to wash that binky off every time it falls on the floor…and child #3 ends up eating dog poop off the floor. Well, I’ve always considered myself a pretty laid back mom (and I’ve got the lack of baby memory books and scrapbooking skills to prove it) but what’s different here is that baby #3 is 8 and 9 years younger than his sister and brother respectively. What that translates into is yes, I’m WAY less anal about hovering over him 24/7 but I also know he is the last baby until I have grandchildren, so I want each milestone to be that much more celebrated and treasured.
It is with that thought that the dilemma of the First Birthday Party presented itself. Do I want to do a HUGE party that he of course will not remember and invite every family member and acquaintance? Or do I keep it low-key and just do immediate family and a cake for him to destroy and wear like gloves? The additional issue is that his birthday is 3 days before Halloween, so that time of the month is littered with costume parties and other functions I’m sure. Of course, who doesn’t want to come hang out and eat cake with one of the cutest kids in Florida? 😉
I’m currently leaning toward small-but-mighty party inviting close friends and family…but my husband thinks it should just be us and a cake, so the debate rages on. My eldest son’s was similar to this, close friends, family and co-workers, while my daughter’s was much bigger with a party at Davis Farmland in Massachusetts. Since most of both of our families were up there and we were living in a teeny tiny apartment, it made more sense to do something bigger up there. Of course we’ll end up bringing him to Disney for his birthday too, but that’s not something you can invite the entire neighborhood to given the cost of admission.
How have you celebrated first birthdays in the past? Have any thoughts for what we should do? Any theme ideas or suggestions? And most importantly, how on earth am I going to top a Spaghetti & Meatballs cake?! I know no matter what we decide, it will be memorable (for us) and tons of pictures, frosting and a bath involved! I’ll be sure to share it all here when all’s said and done!
I like the small-yet-mighty approach….I tend to go a little overboard with my parties (yep, one of those moms), but then I am always soooooo stressed when party day comes.
Can’t wait to hear all about it.
PS Thanks for grabbing my buttons for your blogs. I have enjoyed “getting to know you” through tweets and blog posts and the DIS boards!
First birthdays are so much fun!! Since he is your last baby, could you do a celebration of firsts? For decorations, you could blow up pictures of all his important firsts:
day he was born
first visit with brother and sister
first day home
first smile
first bath
You get the idea. You could even invite your guests to bring pictures of themselves on their first birthdays or have them bring pictures of their kids’ first birthdays and display them.
Just throwin’ it out there! 🙂 Good luck with whatever you decide! He is a total cutie!
.-= Kristin´s last blog ..“Hey Babe, what does serendipity mean again?” =-.
normally, i’m not a big fan of ‘all out’ b-day parties for the little ones (as they get bigger and have a group of friends they can invite, then i think it’s OK)…but as he is your last baby (’til you have grandkids — i LOVED that part!)….i would say go for it and have a semi-big party and just CELEBRATE.
.-= Traci´s last blog ..Making Memories =-.
Thanks for reminding me! I can’t believe the boys are almost a year old!! Your little guy was born 3 days before Halloween, mine 3 days after. We’re inviting immediate family only (6 + 2 significant others possibly + my Nan, who is the only living grandparent), Don’s immediate family (2 + possibly his brother and his girlfriend), and my best friend, her husband, and their 1 year old. That’s *just* immediate family and, counting us, is 19 people in our tiny house!
It’s probably going to be Elmo themed, but not “all out”. I might sew up a strip of Elmo fabric buntings that he can hang in his room later, make those cake balls (damn you for enticing me!), and make a smashing cake. I’ll probably just make appetizers for people to snack on, and I’ll be running the slideshow of his 365 on the big screen so people can view his first year of life.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this post to get more ideas 🙂
.-= Jace´s last blog ..Harvest Gold – Hand Dyed Fingering Weight Socky Yarn =-.