Addie's First Birthday: the Best "No-Theme" Party

Though I have not written about her, I assure you my baby daughter does exist. I know, I know... I am a classic example of a second-time mom who has exhausted all her awe and attention on her first-born—pictures, scrapbooks, recordings of all milestones—and with the second one? We celebrate the mere fact that we have thus kept her alive! But of course not. Just as I had wrestled over and succeeded in making room in my heart for Caedmon when I was just a pup-mom (I kid you not—I cognitively could not fathom loving another more than Lucy), we have so seamlessly and effortlessly opened and entwined our hearts around our sweet Addie. The truth, then, for my delinquency in writing about our new baby thus far is, 1. We had a new baby. And 2. Addie has been a pretty easy baby, and, comparable to the likes of Taylor Swift, whose creative genius is honed by the shards of her broken heart, I, too, apparently need some sort of strong emotional catalyst to get me all emo and introspective and... writing. So while Caedmon is my muse, if for no other reason than the fact that he sometimes drives me nuts, Addie is my prize who I simply and tenderly delight in. Addie turned one last month, and so finally, I decided to flex my writing muscles and set my fingers over the keyboard to share about her first birthday, because it really was a memorable day for one remarkable little lady.

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Addie's party was intended to be effortless. Originally, I had wracked my brain for fun themes that I could lose myself creatively in: an ice cream social, a Cheerios party, or, in a nod to her signature trait, a bed head bash. But while I wanted to celebrate big, the thought of prepping for a party with an over-the-top theme and not only cleaning up, but then packing for a family vacation scheduled two days afterwards, was already giving me hives. So I decided to scrap the theme! You can't go wrong with food and friends (and a small activity in the form of a tournament bracket). And the themes? I decided to save them for later parties, when Addie and her friends can appreciate and participate in all the to-do. It was freeing, really.

So I found a pretty Evite and sent out instant (and free) invitations. I asked my dear friend Amanda of Paper Heart Patisserie to make her sugar cookies as our favors, so that took another huge task off my to-do list. I decided we would grill, so even in the food department, Wayne would be doing most of the work! I was set! This party would require minimal effort from me! I felt a little sneaky, actually.

Except... Amanda needed to know what I wanted the favors to look like, so we decided to extend the summery-fruity vibe of the Evite and go with watermelon- and pineapple-shaped cookies. I felt that familiar flicker of creative inspiration as my mind leapt to the gold pineapple-stamped dress Addie had hanging in her closet, still waiting its debut. So much for my no-theme party, because one pineapple led to another, and before I knew it, I was snipping gold foil confetti and constructing a watermelon balloon garland ala Pinterest late into the night. But it was just one garland, and perhaps because it was created on a last-minute whim as opposed to an imperative as part of an elaborate concept, all the preparation was still minimal and enjoyable.

top: Amanda's gorgeous cookies! How could I not go with a theme after seeing these?

bottom left: My watermelon balloon garland with palm fronds, snipped fresh from a friend's yard. The week prior to the party, I scanned the terrain each time we hopped in the car, looking for low-hanging palm trees planted on public property, because yes, I had planned to return at night with tree trimmers, but apparently, Elk Grove does not landscape with palm trees. Luckily, I have a friend who does.

bottom right: Addie's healthy smash cake (that was saved by Amanda who effortlessly whipped up and applied a fresh batch of frosting when my healthy version resembled more pancake batter than anything else), and my ever-favorite chocolate cake from Ina Garten (coated with toasted coconut) that I make for all celebrations, because I love it that much (and because I'm really a one-trick pony).

See, Wayne is doing all the work.

Our Addie photo wall that was put up by washi tape, and the fun tassels I found on sale during a random shopping trip at Nordstrom. So effortless. So easy. (Especially when it was actually put up by my sister-in-law, Emily. She and her husband, Carl, have become my tireless events team; their ready and ample help before each festivity, wholly indispensable.) Allow me to breathe out a sigh of relief... ahhhhh.... The random items on the credenza were for our bracket activity.

While we finished eating, we started the bracket portion of the party. This is a game I borrowed from my sister, who borrowed from a friend, and it's ingenious (IF you have a pleasant-tempered baby, which I am still so euphoric we do). Our friends had been instructed to bring a non-food, non-toy item from home that they thought would attract Addie's attention most. They were divided into heats and then, with Addie placed in the middle of the room, competed against one another by shaking their items, in hopes that Addie would crawl towards and take their object, thus advancing them onto the next round.

Ready, set, GO! The action was sometimes intense, though often slow... but always comical as Addie looked quizzically at all of us monkeys dancing around her.

Addie was often a tease...

Ooh, what? Shiny!

Hm, makes noise, too??

I think I like it...

But these bracelet bangles are enticing, too...

I like the bangles!

And the bangles were our ultimate winner!

And then it was time for cake! Here was another instance of significant difference between Addie and Caedmon; at Caedmon's first birthday (that was super small because of his extreme anxiety around people), he burst into tears with all the sudden attention and applause when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Addie? She smiled and pointed at all the friendly faces singing to her, as if to say, "I see you, and you! Thank you for coming! I love you, too!" She clapped her hands along with us at the end of the song, like the quintessential Angel Baby.

Watching her take her first tastes of cake as she gingerly stuck her finger in the frosting and then demurely brought it to her mouth was like watching grass grow. Stinking adorable grass... but it defied the idea of a SMASH cake!

I love this series of pictures, above. In the first, Addie is cuteness personified. In the second, Wayne looks like a photoshopped photo-bomber. And the third? It reminds me that though I think about things like what our family is wearing, particularly to special occasions at which we'll be photographed and memorialized for ages, and thus painstakingly pick out the kids' outfits and mine, I need to pass that memo onto Wayne, because otherwise, he will arrive in his "got burritos?" t-shirt. So fancy.

This is so typical my-mom, already exerting her tiger (grand)mom-ness... "Wah?! No eat cake? Work harder!!" Sorry, Addie... I feel ya.

Our charming and delicious cookie favors—the little gems that were the springboard to what became an adorable first birthday for our sweet girl. Seriously, THIS is what made the party and tied all the details together, giving the impression that I actually put forth any real effort! Thank you, Amanda, for doing all the work and making our party so memorable!

Addie's no-theme-but-okay-pineapple-watermelon-themed party was so much fun that Caedmon was completely wiped out on our way to dinner that evening. Couldn't even make it to the after-party. It was that good. And so perfect for our exceedingly sweet and remarkably amiable baby girl.

Happy first birthday, Little One!