1st Birthday Party

Every year on my Birthday, my mom tells me the story about how I was born. It's become somewhat of a tradition, albeit unintentionally. Until I became a mom, I never really understood how important a child's birthday was - to a mom, that is.

My daughter's birthday is as much a celebration for me as it is for her and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get emotional thinking about the hours spent in the hospital leading up to her birth. My husband and I reminisced the days before LO's birthday: "Last year at this time we were...", and we will forever count ourselves lucky and blessed for all that we have, especially our baby girl.

Even though she may not understand what I said, I told her the story of her birth, and I'll continue to do that. It's important for her to know how she got her start.

Ok - all mushiness over. Another great thing about a 1st Birthday is a 1st Birthday Party! Our babe loves Sesame Street, especially Abby Cadabby and Elmo. So, we decided to do a full Sesame Street Party.

I'll take credit for most of the ideas here, but also to Pinterest for some great inspiration.

First, a welcome sign: 

I think this sign deserves its own post, so I'll save it for another day, but it's a quick and very affordable craft.

The food: 

I ordered this cake from a Yummy Mummy friend, Designer Desserts by Lucia Moia. I absolutely loved it - it was a delicious vanilla with vanilla bean icing. The entire cake is nut-free, so if anyone had a nut allergy, we were covered. She also does dairy-free and gluten-free options too.

 

I saw these fruit and veggie platters on Pinterest and decided to customize them and make them my own. On the left, Cookie Monster, made with blueberries, Greek yogurt for eyes in shot glasses and dark chocolate pieces for the mouth and eyeballs. Elmo in the centre with a carrot nose, and olive mouth, and Oscar on the right made with broccoli and a blueberry mouth and carrot eyebrows. The shotglasses for Elmo and Oscar contained a simple creamy salad dressing as a dip. These were a huge hit and so easy! Who says you can't play with your food?

The loot:

Kids love loot bags, but sometimes they can get out of hand. I wanted something simple, affordable and on-theme. I made little labels with all the kids' names in the Sesame Street sign.

Inside, age appropriate toys and games. Here we have a word book, letter flash cards, popsicle maker and an Elmo snack container. I even filled the Elmo container with Goldfish crackers! (Elmo has a pet goldfish, Dorothy)

All in all, it was a fabulous 1st Birthday and I still can't believe it's come and gone. She may not remember it, but I will always remember her 1st, and the wonderful year we celebrated together.