With a milestone comes a certain amount of reminiscing – I’ve done a lot of pining for the snuffly newborn days, all the while feeling ever so chuffed about how each member of our little unit has adapted to life as a foursome. And just as part of me wishes we could do it all over again, I can honestly say we squeezed everything we could out of our first 365 days with Teddy. Every last delicious drop.
To mark this most special of birthdays, we gathered family and friends for a little party with cake, gifts and balloons aplenty.
Now, I’m well aware that a one-year-old has no need and, probably, no desire for a party. It’s often something to appease the parents more than it is the baby of the hour. But if, like me, you need little excuse for a celebration, it really is a lovely way to round off an unprecedented year of firsts.
With that in mind, I’m devoting this T & G LOVES to The First Birthday. Here’s my pick of places to shop for presents and party paraphernalia…
What’s a birthday without a few (or in our case, a few dozen) balloons? And banners. And cups, cutlery and plates that require zero washing up but – BONUS – can be recycled. Candle & Cake has it all – and more. Party hats? You got it. Animal masks? No problem! Streamers, party bags, long tassely things to tie to the aforementioned balloons… Everything you could want is at the click of a button. There are even themes categorised by interests to help you pull your party get-up together – circus, jungle, space… It’s brilliant. We decorated our house with confetti filled balloons (pictured above), a giant foil number one, and a hip-hip-hooray banner that will be used time and again.
THE CAKE TOPPER… BOW BEAUS
I braved baking the birthday cake myself. Stress aside, it was a success (Jamie Oliver’s lemon drizzle never lets me down). And topping it with this gorgeous bear helped detract attention away from the slightly wonky finished article. He’s the handiwork of the lovely Joanna at Bow Beaus, who also creates fabulous glitter crowns, wands and a host of other birthday cake critters including cows, deer and the sweetest little party-hat wearing piglets. Of course, it had to be a teddy bear for our little man’s first ever birthday cake. So unique and a little something to treasure. Now relieved of his cake duties, the bear has since taken pride of place on Teddy’s bedroom windowsill. Until next year…
THE PARTY BAGS… COTTON TWIST
We relocated to our new home a week before Ted’s party, leaving little time for making new baby friends to invite (sorry kiddo – give it time). But amid the sea of grown-ups’ legs were two small people for the birthday boy to play with – Mr R’s football-loving nephews. And it being a party, I felt I ought to put together a couple of party bags for them. I was thrilled to learn of Cotton Twist and their activity bag fillers. No plastic tat here (hurrah to that!). Everything is designed to keep ‘em busy with the likes of a make your own superhero mask kit, a ladybird spot hunt and a DIY princess crown. It had to be the football game and winners medal kits for our two party makers. Entertaining, refreshingly different and easy on the purse-strings. Result.
A GIFT TO TREASURE… THE WHITE COMPANY RIDE-ON CAR
One-year-olds are tricky to buy for. They don’t really need anything material, but Mr R and I wanted to buy Teddy a special something that will last well beyond his first birthday. This vintage toy racing car is just what we were looking for. It’s beautifully crafted with details including a leather-look seat, petrol cap and shiny steering wheel. Teddy’s face was a picture when he woke to find it parked up and waiting for him. It’s the toy he crawls to first and he LOVES zooming around the house on it. His legs are a little short for him to ‘drive’ unassisted right now but it’s something he will grow into and hopefully, one day, pass down to siblings or even children of his own.
THE FIRST ALBUM
I have SO many photographs of Teddy – I’m talking thousands. And while it’s lovely always having them to hand on my iPhone, I wanted to put them into something more tangible – just in case I somehow wipe my phone memory clean (and I really wouldn’t put that past me…). So I set about printing off the best of the best, sticking them down in an old-school album complete with a bespoke cover thanks to Lovely Ink Prints and a letter to the birthday boy from Mr R and me. It’s still a work in progress – I really should have started it sooner (right now I feel like I’ll still be working on it when he’s four) and I’ll be making a point of chipping away at his second birthday album throughout this next year. But looking back at the early days, seeing how much he has changed in such a short space of time and smiling at the small things oft forgotten amid the whirlwind (not to mention counting the ever-increasing wrinkles Mr R and I have acquired) has been the perfect therapy for the onslaught of emotions a first birthday can bring.
A BIRTHDAY CARD ‘PICTURE BOOK’
This idea I must credit to my grandma, who 60-plus years ago treasured the beautiful cards her children received by creating a makeshift picture book out of them. Thrifty? Genius! My usual habit is to cram everything into a keepsake memory box. But honestly, how often will I look in it? Crafting them into something to be admired daily is a much better idea. Teddy received so many birthday cards and some of them really are works of art – a vibrant mixture of colours, textures and ‘pull this to move that’ accessories. So I, like my granny, have gathered the covers together into a ‘book’ for Teddy to pick up, flick through and dog-ear as he pleases. I love that this is a little-known family tradition I have given new life to.
Happy times
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