Nicolette's 1st Birthday Extravaganza!

Be prepared to be bombarded with hundreds (ok, maybe not HUNDREDS - but I DO have 189 photos from N's birthday celebration on my camera) of photos of Nicolette's birthday extravaganza!

As you very well may know, Nicolette turned one on July 5th.  Since that was a Friday and I wanted her party to be a family party with mommies, babies AND their daddies we decided to host her party on Saturday, July 6th. At first I told myself that I would not succumb to Pinterest Pressure but I just couldn't help myself.  My husband thought (and still thinks) that I am a total nut job for putting so much time and energy into this party but he knew what he was getting into when he married me.  I have ALWAYS been one to get excited about throwing a party - just ask my parents about the 12th birthday party I threw for myself...without their permission...or letting them know that I had sent out "custom" invitations for (custom meaning I handwrote them myself - each friend getting a different colored invite).

Determining a theme was the easy part...ever since I found out I was pregnant I've sung "You Are My Sunshine" to Nicolette.  I still sing it to her before almost every nap and at bedtime so I decided that would be the theme.  I found a cake design that I absolutely loved and basically designed the whole party around that.

I worked with Inspired Trading Co on etsy to design the invitations and I just loved the way they turned out. I worked with Hailey at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/InspiredTradingCo and she was so helpful with adjusting the colors so that it fit the palette that I had in mind for the party.  Although the theme was "You Are My Sunshine" I didn't want to go totally cheesy, smiley, sunshiney faces all over the invite.  (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that)

Front

Back - contact info is removed, that's why it's blurry

Now to me the 1st Birthday is ALL about the CAKE!  So choosing the cake and choosing the right cake baker was critical!  I'm blessed to know MANY talented pastry chefs but was delighted to be able to work with Lisa Toohey of Cake Expressions once again.  She also made my 30th birthday cake, but then had the nerve to pack up and move to London with her family for what seemed like a million years...good news Charlotte peeps, she is back and her cakes are just as gorgeous and delicious as ever!   (She also prepared the adorable cake pops and macarons).  

Check out the Cuteness!!!!!

Most adorable little smash cake

Lisa, you definitely outdid yourself and the cakes and desserts were more than I had imagined!!!!  

Now for other party details - 

High Chair Fabric Garland

I had to think of a way to dress up Nicolette's $19.99 ikea high chair so I decided to get crafty and make a fabric garland (see in photo above).  This was WAY easier than I ever could have imagined and I learned how to by following a tutorial on youtube. (one change...I didn't cut my fabric, just snipped it and then tore it.  I wanted it to have ragged edges so that it had more of a "shabby chic" look (emphasis on the shabby). It also was much quicker than cutting the fabric.  My highchair garland was made with 18" strips of fabric so it hung approximately 9" from the highchair as the fabric loops are doubled up). 

Fabric Garland

I ended up having purchased WAY too much fabric so I decided to make another fabric garland.  This one was long enough to put on the 8' beverage table. The total cost for both garlands was $12 in fabric and ribbons.  I spent one evening tearing and tying fabric whilst enjoying one of my guilty pleasures, "The Bachelorette".  

"I am 1!" Banner

I looked on etsy and saw some GORGEOUS banners but they were $30, $40 and $50 (and more), so I decided to go super simple and make my own.  I already had a scrapbooking circle stamp (I think it is a 3" circle) so I just bought some pretty pink cardstock and some scrapbooking letters from Michaels.  Used my hubby's hole punch and some ribbon that I had in my gift wrap closet and viola, banner = done. 

Proper Party Hat

Now every girl needs a proper party hat, right?  I checked etsy again (of course) and hats were crazy expensive, albeit super adorable but I figured I can put SOMETHING together, right?  And I didn't wan to spend $30+ on a hat that she would probably end up pulling off her head after 3 seconds.  So I found a template online and picked out some pretty damask paper and found a bunch of flowers on clearance from Michael's.  Pulled out my trusty hot glue gun, some ribbon I already had and some cute lace trim from my fabric scraps and presto change-o we had a birthday hat in under 15 minutes!  AND Nicolette actually kept the thing on her head the entire time she was eating her cake.  She didn't pull at it one time!  Such a good girl! I think my design on a dime hat was around $3 to make.  

sidenote: I did cut the paper about 1/4 to 1/2" LARGER than the template - the template just looked like a really small hat to me.  Cutting it just a tad larger made the perfect sized hat for Nicolette.  

Circle garlands

I wanted to accent the cake table but wanted to do something other than the tissue pom poms or accordion balls.  I had seen pictures of circle garlands and thought that they looked super cute.  I already had a 1 1/2" scalloped edge circle punch in my scrapbooking supplies so I just bought three different colors of paper (light pink, medium pink and pale yellow), spent a night on the couch punching away and then spent a couple of nap sessions with my sewing machine sewing the circles together.  Probably cost a total of $5 for the look and I was super happy with it!  

Tissue Pom Poms and Streamer Curtain

I went super light on the food - the party was at 3pm so it's a weird time for eating - also this party was all about the cake and the sweets, right so who needs a lot of foo?  Regardless I wanted the dining room to look lovely so I covered our windows with a streamer garland.  A couple of rolls of pale yellow and pale pink streamers (probably $10) and some painters tape and one nap session to hang it up and I was done with that project.  I purchased the Martha Stewart Tissue Paper Pom Poms from walmart.com and used some of my extra circle garlands in here too.  So this room was completed for about $15-$20.  

Menu sign on leftover paper in a frame that hangs in N's nursery

Simple food

Fruit Salad

Trail Mix in Pink Paper Cups

I did splurge a little on something that is totally unnecessary...custom water bottle labels.  I found them on etsy (of course), but they were just too cute to resist! $15 for 15 labels and the water was from Trader Joe's.  I already had mason jars so accented them with some scrap ribbons and bought some snazzy paper straws from Sugar Divas.  We went simple with beverages too...just bottled water, lemonade, white wine and beer for the fellas.  

I took some of my favorite photos from each month and printed them as 8 X 10's, added her monthly onesie sticker, backed them with scrapbook paper and hung them with scrap ribbons from our staircase.  This was Nicolette's FAVORITE part of the party.  I hung them early in the week prior to her party and every time we'd walk past them she'd just stare and smile and laugh.  Which makes me think of something else...but that's a post for another day. 

 I backed her monthly pictures that I took with her elephant, Ellie and hung them in our family room.  I plan to put these in her baby book now.  (Need to work on updating the baby book...ACK!).

The loot table!  Another streamer curtain to block off the hubby's office (which looks like a bomb exploded in it). We were amazed at how generous our friends and families were.  We are truly blessed to have such amazing people in our lives who love our daughter almost as much as we do!

And a simple banner on the front door - same circle punch and the left over scrapbooking letters from the "I Am 1!" banner over the high chair.  

Now let's get to the GOOD stuff!  The reason that we're all here...this precious girl Nicolette!!!!

Happy girl was dancing to the music waiting for the party to start!

"Where's this cake everyone keeps talking about?"

What you didn't see: the reason that I have a death
grip on Nicolette's arm while simultaneously blowing
out the candle is because right at the very end of
"Happy Birthday" she reached her sweet little fingers
out to grab THE FLAME!

Happy Family!

with Gramma G 

She was happier eating with her fork

Dig in!

mmmmmmmmm!

Eating Cake is Serious Business. 

Love these sweet little messy hands

Smash cake success!

Time to clean up!  Notice the hat is STILL on! 

Hope you all enjoyed the pics.  I had the best time putting the party together.  I know she won't remember it, but we'll have the pictures and memories forever!  So blessed!

Crotch Danglers

Yup...you read right.  I said Crotch Danglers.  A term I never in my life thought I'd be uttering much less researching and worrying about but alas I am now well educated about the perils of overuse of crotch danglers with babies.

"What is a crotch dangler?" you might ask...well it's one of the millions of baby carriers, car seats, exersaucers, jumpers, walkers, etc that we modern day moms trust our children for hours on end every day.  Did you know that there is an International Hip Dysplasia Institute?  Me neither...but now we both know.  Here is what they have to say about proper hip positioning for babies...

Education Statement: The IHDI recommends healthy hip positioning for all babies to encourage normal hip development. Within the womb, a baby spends a long time tucked in the fetal position, in which both hips and knees are bent or flexed.

Baby in normal (fetal) womb position.

After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. During the first few months of life the ball is more likely to be loose within the socket because babies are naturally flexible and because the edges of the socket are made of soft cartilage like the cartilage in the ear. If the hips are forced into a stretched-out position too early, the ball is at risk of permanently deforming the edges of the cup shaped socket (hip dysplasia) or gradually slipping out of the socket altogether (hip dislocation). Hip dysplasia or dislocation in babies is not painful so this may go undetected until walking age and may also result in painful arthritis during adulthood. The risk of hip dysplasia or dislocation is greatest in the first few months of life. By six months of age, most babies have nearly doubled in size, the hips are more developed and the ligaments are stronger, so are less susceptible to developing hip dysplasia.

The most unhealthy position for the hips during infancy is when the legs are held in extension with the hips and knees straight and the legs brought together, which is the opposite of the fetal position. The risk to the hips is greater when this unhealthy position is maintained for a long time. Healthy hip positioning avoids positions that may cause or contribute to development of hip dysplasia or dislocation. The healthiest position for the hips is for the hips to fall or spread (naturally) apart to the side, with the thighs supported and the hips and knees bent. This position has been called the jockey position, straddle position, frog position, spread-squat position or human position. Free movement of the hips without forcing them together promotes natural hip development.

SEE: Hip Healthy Swaddling

Some types of baby carriers and other equipment may interfere with healthy hip positioning. Such devices include but are not limited to baby carriers, slings, wraps, pouches, car seats, exercisers, rockers, jumpers, swings, bouncers and walkers, and molded seating items. These devices could inadvertently place hips in an unhealthy position, especially when used for extended periods of time. Any device that restrains a baby’s legs in an unhealthy position should be considered a potential risk for abnormal hip development. It is also important to assess the size of the baby and match the device and carrier to the size of the child so that the hips can be in a healthy position during transport. Parents are advised to research the general safety and risks of any device they wish to use. When in doubt, we recommend involving your primary health-care provider in any further decision-making that may be medically relevant.

These series of drawings demonstrate typical devices that allow healthier hip positioning in comparison to those which do not.

Car Seat Positioning

Not Recommended:

Tight car seats prevent legs from spreading apart.

Better:
Wider car seats provide room for legs to be apart, putting the hips in a better position.

Baby Harnesses

Not Recommended:

Thigh NOT supported to the knee joint. The resulting forces on the hip joint may contribute to hip dysplasia.

Better:


Thigh is supported to the knee joint. The forces on the hip joint are minimal because the legs are spread, supported, and the hip is in a more stable position.

Baby Slings

Not Recommended:

Baby carriers that force the baby’s legs to stay together may contribute to hip dysplasia.

Better:

Baby carriers should support the thigh and allow the legs to spread to keep the hip in a stable position

Regarding Baby Carriers: When I was registering for baby gifts I am embarrassed to admit that I had NO clue that there were any options for baby carriers other than the Baby Bjorn.  They had a trusted name and all sorts of medical testaments on their website so I thought I was good to go.   I never realized how often I would like using the carrier so didn't put as much thought into it as other items on our registry.  Hindsight as they say is 20/20.  I love to put N in the carrier and beebop in the kitchen, do some light cleaning, go for walks, etc, etc, etc.  And she LOVES it!  She's my little monkey, always hanging on me in some form or fashion.  Now that I've done more research I've swapped out my Bjorn for a more ergonomically friendly Boba 3g (yes, they give these things names like cars...totally bizarre - our stroller is the BOB Revolution SE, that's sports edition :) ).  I digress...There are 2 main differences between the Boba and the Bjorn...

1. The Boba has support at the waist, the Bjorn puts all of the support on your upper back so it does hurt your back after a while or as your baby gets heavier.  
2. The Boba supports the babies thighs all the way to the knee keeping her hips stable.  The Bjorn does not so you'll notice that your baby's legs will dangle pretty much straight down (hence the term "crotch dangler").   

Before having Nicolette I would have had no idea where to begin as far as researching baby carriers.  Luckily I'm blessed to be a part of an amazing support group of July Mommies on Facebook and someone in the group introduced me to a website to help compare many of the baby carriers.  I HIGHLY recommend that anyone with a little one (or expecting a little one soon) to check out this website HERE to help pick out your baby carrier. (I also highly recommend that any mommy-to-bes hook up with a similar online support group with tons of Baby Mamas during your baby's expected birth month...I've had many a question at 2am and was able to easily send it out into cyberspace to my 250+member mommy group and know that at least 1 person (and usually 50 or more mommies) was also awake and had faced the same situation at some other point in time and was ready and willing to offer advice, support and encouragement.)

Sadly, the exersaucers (and jumparoos for those who have them) are also considered "crotch danglers").  This is sad because Nicolette LOVES and I mean LOVES her exersaucer!!!!  I'm not going to take this joy away from her, but I'm also not going to use it as a babysitter.  I keep an eye on her and if she starts to get lazy or tired and start sitting in it rather than standing I take her out and we move on to something else.  This little girl LOVES to stand and has had legs strong enough to push to a standing position ever since she was a wee six weeks old.  So the crotch dangling exersaucer will remain :)

I hope someone finds this information helpful.  I know I would have appreciated knowing all this stuff before our little bambino arrived.