First Birthday- cake, ice cream, and presents for a one-year-old!

Our sweet baby girl turned one this month. She started walking, mimicking several words and giving great kisses. I called my mother to ask her for advice in picking out presents for a one-year-old. I know what she likes to play with now, and what she is capable of doing now, but I have no idea what she'll be able to do six months from now. Mum recommended something for her to push while walking, like a shopping cart, pretend lawnmower, or doll stroller. I picked out a doll stroller online and it arrived about a week before her birthday. It was so hard not to give it to her right away!

I made her a new dress for her birthday (the blue one). I took some photos on her birthday, and the following weekend we celebrated with family, pink balloons, a homemade vanilla cake, vanilla ice cream, and presents.














We started with presents, mostly because I couldn't wait any longer! She tore the paper open with enthusiasm, right to the last gift! She received:

• 1.2.3. Playmobil farm set, which she loves. The barn folds shut with all of the other farm pieces inside and has a handle on the top. The box says that it is for children ages 3 and up, but the pieces are large enough that she won't choke.
• Triangular crayons and a pad of paper were a big hit. Triangular crayons can't roll off the table and are easy to hold.
• Mini Boba baby doll carrier. She isn't really old enough for this yet, but she loves her babies and she loves our real Boba, so I think she will be crazy about this child-size doll carrier later on.

• A duplo farm set. We haven't opened this yet, because she doesn't quite seem ready yet. These are like jumbo legos and there are lots of pieces.
• She also got a Jenny Jump-up, which technically she has outgrown because she can walk, but she hasn't met the weight limit yet, so we use it in the doorway to the back porch and she loves it.
• She is not big enough to play with the bubbles she got alone yet, but with help, she loves them.
• The play dough she received is also a little too advanced for her right now, but she'll be ready before her next birthday, I am thinking.
  
• She received a Hape Wooden Alphabet Puzzle - capital letters. I chose this puzzle because the pieces can stand up to spell words.  I took a close-up so you can see how thick they are.
  
  
  
• We gave her a Nalgene water bottle, but as it turns out, it is too hard for her to drink out of at this age. She certainly likes it though.
• She received a pop-up castle that she can play in, like a play tent. It folds into a case. She hasn't used it yet.
• Finally, she received a doll jogging stroller, which is awesome, by the way. She was able to push it around by herself. It has a sturdy metal frame with removable fabric, and the entire thing folds up. Pushing the stroller around really gave her a sense of confidence when it comes to walking.
• She also got a new applecheeks size 2 reusable swim diaper and some swim floaty armbands, but she hasn't used them yet.
  

I am trying to avoid giving her preservatives, artificial colors, fake sugars, and artificial flavors. We decided that a homemade cake would be the way to go instead of a boxed cake mix. My talented sister whipped it up for her the day of the party, along with some homemade white buttercream frosting. I had seen an idea for a cake when I was on Pinterest. It had balloons on it, using water balloons and skewers. It seemed like a great idea, but I couldn't get the balloons to stay upright. My husband figured out a way to tape the bottoms to get them to stay up on the skewers. I purchased a candle in the shape of a 1. When my husband lit the candle, the balloons started popping from the heat! He shielded the balloons from the heat until she was ready to blow out the candle. She tried hard, and the candle flickered, but she needed some assistance to blow it out completely.

She was very tidy when she ate her cake. She ate crumbs, with dainty little fingers before squishing the cake and frosting in her hand. She loved vanilla ice cream. It was a great night. I can't believe she is one already, but I am really looking forward to this year!