One day I asked Kylie "what kind of party should we have for Jake?" She said, "since he's a boy, we should do a dinosaur party!" And there you have it - Dinosaur party it is!
I spent all morning with Kylie, she helped me do the dinosaur sandwiches and wrap the presents she picked out for Jake (a snack bowl and a farm animal book). She proudly announced to Jake "it's your number one birthday today!" when Jake woke up from his morning nap. She wore her party hat for most of the morning (and was VERY disappointed that the other attendees did not wear theirs). All said and done, she did GREAT and she was SO excited about the big day. So, why am I starting the whole story with Kylie when it's Jake's first birthday? Because in hindsight, I can see how truly challenging it is for her when she's NOT the star of the show. After the million questions and constant nagging of the morning (Can we do this NOW? Can we make that NOW? Can we eat cake NOW? When are they gonna be here???????), I felt very much on edge when our guests arrived (we kept it small, just family and the Monroe's). It was hard to really enjoy Jake's big celebration while trying to keep Kylie in check. And, by the end, I felt like I failed miserably. Kylie cut her finger (on a monkey she says????) and then I hurt her foot when I lifted her from the chair in the kitchen - which started a bad crying spell right before the cake. At which time I snapped at Jeff for wanting to give Jake his cake while I was consoling Kylie. Uggghhhh!
I have had the afternoon to reflect, and peek at some of the pictures. It reminded me of how truly beautiful my Kylie-Bear is and how grateful I am for her loving (and boisterous) personality. I have forgiven myself for getting frustrated and losing my cool - and Jeff forgave me too ;) And, since Jake seemed to have a fantastic time in spite of it all - I guess it was a great SUCCESS!
Before the party.......
This is how it is all the time. Kylie hugging (smothering, holding, grabbing) Jake, and Jake trying to escape....
One Year Stats:
23 lbs (55%)
30 inches (55%)
46 cm (head) 45%
He has only grown 1/2 inch and gained .7 lbs in three months. Maybe he's stabilizing! ;)
We didn't have a "mini" dinosaur cake for Jake to eat (our cake lady forgot), but considering how well he destroyed the piece we gave him - I guess it's just as well! He also liked to share with Daddy.
He cried when we took it away, and started picking up the crumbs from his pants to keep eating! He also loved all his presents from his Aunts, Uncles and Cousins - and especially his Winnie the Pooh ride-on-toy from Nana. We served him a jelly/cream cheese dinosaur sandwich for lunch, which he devoured. I was so stressed about wanting his little party to be perfect and not wanting him to feel slighted someday because we didn't do a HUGE first birthday like we did for Kylie. But, his party was perfect in it's very own way, and I got lots of snuggles from my little man - what more can a mommy ask for?
Happy Birthday to sweet Jake! Glad you got to put the bib to good use :).
ReplyDeleteHappy 0-1 to handsome Jake! Crystal- we all have those moments juggling it all on important days. I don't think I brushed out Julia's hair for AB's baptism or 1st birthday for fear of one of those crying jags. And I have the tangle- haired pictures to prove it! It sure looks like Jake had a great day surrounded by loved ones! Kylie is such a big girl!
ReplyDeleteIf our bodies showed how frequently we beat ourselves up, mothers would look like nothing but walking bruises! There is something inherently stressful about first birthdays, which I can't help but wonder isn't partially due to our sadness and anxiety that our babies are growing up. The pictures show that when all is said and done, it really was perfect, so congratulations!
ReplyDelete