Having a New Year's Eve birthday boy really makes December a marathon! At least that was definitely how I felt this year. I am a procrastinator. So my usual starting and finishing Christmas shopping the week before the holiday was not so easy while trying to make time for Alex. Then throw in planning his birthday party and shopping for a few birthday presents. I was so stressed that when I forgot to wear my bite guard to bed one night before the birthday party, thaKing woke me to inform me of the lack of bite guard since, so he claims, I was doing a great imitation of a garbage truck via teeth grinding. I'll note that I am not crafty at all! Just Lovely Katherine sewed the bunting, while I sat and watched. I attempted to make beautifully decorated sugar cookies. That was a fail. They were generic '1' shaped cookies with white royal icing. At midnight before the party, I discovered my gel dyes were completely dried up. Good thing I forewent the first time attempt at cake pops because that would have been another failure and I may have wound up injuring myself or something in a fit of rage!
How did mom's plan birthday parties before Etsy!? I had a custom made cake topper created by Michelle's Clay Corner from Etsy. Michelle totally recreated Sunny the Genuine Sock Monkee into a polymer clay cake topper that Alex can keep forever. Mimi's Babies created a lovely embroidered shirt. Pick your theme and you can find anything on Etsy to bring the theme to fruition.
The party came and Alex had a blast with his little friends and family. We basically had mini Gymboree in the basement--with a ball pit, tunnel, and parachute to boot. Our great friend, Danielle Pousette, of Simple Grace Photography, took photos during the party to give thaKing an opportunity to just sit back and enjoy his boy's party and not be the photog. Glenda the Cake Lady made a wonderfully delicious 2 tier cake and smash cake, yet Alex wanted nothing to do with it. Perhaps some of my OCD has rubbed off on him and he didn't want to get dirty. He absolutely refused to touch, let alone eat any of his cake! This was the moment we as parents had waited for! We didn't let Alex eat cake at other birthday parties since we wanted the first taste of cake to be HIS birthday cake. Then the kid just sits there and grimaces. However, he was shirtless and had about 25 people staring at him, so really who could blame him. We are so blessed to have a healthy happy baby! I thank God every day for this blessing he has given us.
