While Maribelle's birthday is still eight days away, we had a birthday blowout with friends and family when we were in Ohio for the holidays. I originally wanted to have a small get-together, being that she won't remember anything and all, but after I thought about it and considered the tough start she had in the beginning, I decided there was no better reason for celebrating and doing it big -- 75 people, catered food, the whole she-bang. And I'd say things went pretty well, thanks in large part to all our family who helped us get the place set up and organized the day of the party. We had a happy baby, yummo food and didn't experience any major mishaps. And I now have a whole new appreciation for all those parties that our parents threw us when we were growing up. It takes so much work (and $$$)!
So now that my first kid party is behind me, here's what I've learned:
A) Balloons are kinda a big waste of money. They're festive and fairly cheap, but seriously, I spent close to $50 to have balloons for a grand total of three hours. They looked great on the tables and provided the height I was looking for, but we popped each and every one of them about 15 minutes after the party was over.
B) Opening presents on our own time, at home, was the best decision we made. I kept debating whether or not we should open them at the party, but seriously, the pile was massive and there was no way people would want to sit through that. And plus, it would be everyone watching ME open the gifts, not Maribelle, and that's a bit anti-climactic. Instead we opened just a few presents at the party and took our time opening the rest the following day. It was organized, it was calm, it took about two hours and we actually got to enjoy the process rather than rush through it in order to end the party on time. MUCH more relaxing.
C) Parties for your kids are so much more enjoyable than parties for yourself. We've had our fair share of wedding showers and baby showers, and those always stressed me out! I can easily say I enjoyed every second of showing off our beautiful little girl at her first birthday party and I can't wait to do it again next year (however on a much, much smaller scale). Now, bring on the photos!!!
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