Ellis's 1st Birthday Party and General Amazing-ness

Let’s get something straight here- I love parties and themes and kid’s décor and seeing all of the beautiful Pinterested-out parties with the signs and assorted-by-color candies and party favors just as much as the next person; however, WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE GET THE TIME TO DO THAT SHIT? (Somewhere in 2012, Pinterest decided for every 20-to-30-something woman that all things must be declared with a chalkboard sign- just one of many trends that I’m not sure I’m “on board” with—did you see what I did there?). I get to see my husband for about 2 hours a day, and he gets about 1 day per week off from work.  The remainder of my time is spent with Ellis and trying to keep dog food out of her mouth, so I don’t exactly have any extra free time to make customized party hats and a high chair tutu.  If you do have that ability, power to you.

I remember seeing a VHS tape from my one-year birthday party.  The setting was the illustrious space in our family room of our home, completely decked out with all of the raging mauve and sepia-toned furniture and floors. There may have been a few balloons, but what I remember most about the tape was hearing my grandfather’s hearty laugh and the familiar sound of my grandmother’s soft voice, neither of which I’ve been able to hear in 20+ years.  Ellis won’t remember the frills from her party, but she will remember the faces of who was there, and if we’re lucky to find a 1980’s tape recorder, maybe she’ll receive the gift of eternally freezing her family in 2015 and enjoy hearing and seeing our lives together from whatever space station she lives on as an adult.

For this reason, we kept her birthday pretty chill- just family, a few friends, some neighbors, and homemade cupcakes. Oh, and lots of booze.  If you decided to spend your Saturday afternoon with us, you deserved a beer or four.  So when it came to custom ordering something for her party, I didn’t go for this adorable, sparkly outfit, but instead I got my old company, Frenzy, to print these koozies I designed.

Ellis received lots of toys, and also this breathtaking poster. 

I must take this time to brag on our daughter in true paragraph form (as opposed to chalkboard form) and remind myself and everyone else what a wonderful and unrealistically easy baby she’s been.  She’s unbelievably low-maintenance and never picky: she’s been sleeping in her bumper-less crib since she was 2 months old for 12 hours a night; she skipped rice cereal and baby food and went straight to vegetables via baby-led weaning; she never used a pacifier; she never needed her arms straight-jacketed to her body; she is an ideal rear-facing passenger; she doesn’t really tune-in to TV, and she has no idea how an iPhone works (she thinks it’s this really cool rectangle where my mom and sister live and appear to talk to her occasionally, so she looks at it and smiles.)  She has 8 whole teeth and brushes them each night, and while her 12-month checkup was somewhat of a nightmare, she still loves meeting new people at Publix and being escorted out by the kind old men who bag my groceries.  She walks, talks, and knows an incredible amount of commands and tricks.  While a majority of this is due to her inherited personality and sheer luck, the rest is attributed to listening to my doctor and the highest AAP recommendations.  Here’s my PSA: choose your pediatrician wisely, and listen to her advice (and if you're lucky enough to live in Charleston, you should see this wonderful woman).

I say all this with tons of pride and caution, but thanks for reading!

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