You also know you're a mom when you plan your first child's first ever birthday party.
We kept it low-key, no "theme" other than the color blue. Caleb doesn't any have clue about superheroes or cars or whatever yet, so it was pretty easy in that aspect. (Though, to be honest, I don't intend to make a big to-do about superheroes anyway. The same goes for Disney movies.)
Some random companies began sending me catalogs for first birthday parties. (How do these people know so much about us, anyway? Creepy.) The stuff they had in there was ridiculous. No, my son does not need to be a "prince" for day. He does not need to wear a crown nor hold a scepter. Good grief.
I'm not too embarrassed to tell you that I bought plates, napkins, and even a table centerpiece and banner all from the dollar store.
We had a lovely turnout, and the closest guests were our pastor and his wife, coming from a mere hour away, as opposed to three. Both sets of parents were there, Brian's best friend Doug and his family, and his other best friend Matt and his wife. (If you are wondering if I have any friends in this world at all, the answer is yes, I do, but they are all back in NJ. Well, most of them. Others are spread out, but still live far away.)
I made a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, all homemade, because those cake mix boxes and frostings have such unhealthy ingredients... I will never be feeding them to my son. I have no cake decorating skills whatsoever, so my cake didn't win any awards in that regard, but it did taste good! (Brian's family seems to abound in cake decorators. His cousin Ellie has a very successful business, and his mother and sister have also taken classes and are really very talented. I have absolutely no patience for such tedious work that is devoured in mere seconds. I applaud them.)
Caleb did very well, and no one was more surprised than I. He even let people hold him. I think he was comfortable in his own home, because when we were out a couple of days ago, someone tried to hold him and he cried pretty quickly. This is a place that he knows, where he feels safe, and is most comfortable, so I guess a few strange faces didn't bother him. Thank goodness.
It was a wonderful day to celebrate our boy turning one year old. I cannot believe that little baby we brought home a year ago is growing into a little boy. I lament the time gone by, but I look forward to the future, too.
We are abundantly blessed to have such a little boy in our lives. We pray every day that we will be the best parents to him that we can be!
