Eleanor's First Birthday Party!

I've told you before that it was ALL EMILY'S DOING, but just in case you forgot:  IT WAS ALL EMILY'S DOING!!!!!  Emily was the mastermind behind every last detail and I don't want to be given any credit for its perfection.  (MINUS the perfect little one year old that everyone came to see.  I was 100% involved in that part!).

Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was our Emily's inspiration for the big day.  Pictures will say it best.  Here they are!      

The Birthday Girl!  Decked out in polka dots and pigtails! (So maybe I played a role in dress selection....)

This little critter was a HIGH MAINTENANCE one.  Between securing the pom-pom's, puffing them up, taping them to the ceiling, and RE-TAPING them to the ceiling......we had our work cut out for us!  Alas, it really did add a special something to the room and I'm glad we went through the hassle!

Subtle (or not so) reminders of AGE ONE were everywhere!  Can you tell that Emily is a kindergarten teacher???

12 months of ELEANOR!  In CATERPILLAR FORM!

The snack table - complete with some delicious, book-featured foods!

As Auntie Gem said, "Every ONE YEAR OLD needs their own, personalized water bottles!"

Party hats!  Or shall we say REALLY ADORABLE ANTENNAS that were mandatory for all attendees!

A little party favour for all :)

The caterpillar jar that now holds many, many warm wishes for Eleanor's future.  It's looking BRIGHT, I tell ya! xo

HIP, HIP for PARTIES!!!!  The world's biggest thank you to Emily who spent hours on end planning, creating and decorating.  WE LOVE YOU, GEM!!!!! xo

The Cake Smash.

You know I really thought Nory would be ALL ABOUT this special moment.  I thought she'd be thrilled about the encouraged mess (how often does THAT happen?!) and have a joyful response to her first taste of icing.  I wasn't even sure the cake required the extra appeal added by my hand-made, glittery heart toppers.  Isn't an all-access pass to something usually forbidden appealing enough?!  Well...........we thought so.  Until the photo-shoot came along.   

Nory's response to the cake smash was not the overly-excited one we had hoped for.  Thank goodness I didn't spend hours making a low-sugar, super-baby-friendly cake as I had initially planned on doing.  She could have cared LESS about the cake and was appalled that we were asking her to "smash" it.  Make a mess?!  Get sticky hands?!  Sit in one place?!  You've got to be kidding me!  All of these thoughts were NO DOUBT running through her mind as we attempted to keep her in the general cake area and tried many times to place her feet, hands, WHATEVER in the cake itself.  She is DEFINITELY her Daddy's daughter.  DEFINITELY.

A big thank you to Emily for doing her darnedest to capture SOMETHING that resembles the new cake smash fad.  Alas, I CONFESS, the cake would have been in PRISTINE condition if there hadn't been three intervening adults around..............      

 

Let's be honest here, people.  Do you know ANY babies that LEGITIMATELY smashed their own first birthday cakes?  Because my mind is boggled and I just don't get it.  I know our darling is one-of-a-kind (everyone's is!).......but THIS one-of-a-kind seems a little rare, no?  Who doesn't LOVE a piece of cake?!  A WHOLE CAKE at that?!  It makes zero sense to me! 

Cake.  It's calling my name something fierce on this it's-only-Monday-evening.  Lucky for me, we have chocolate cake leftovers in the fridge!!!!!!