Party Details

I really wanted to keep Riesling's birthday party simple.  Just a classic celebration with family and a few close friends.  I grew up with low key parties.  The kind where just being your birthday was special enough without a big theme or gift bags (who started that anyways?) and I hope to keep it that way for the Robinson household as long as possible. 

The guess list included: Papa, Grandma & Granpa, Aunt Becka & Uncle Tim, Great Grandmom & Great Grandpop, and my dear friend/surrogate mother Gram & her new hubby, Gramps.  Unable to attend were the Crooker family (Riesling's godparents) and the rest of the Aunts, Uncles & cousins in Ohio. 

I already had a few red hearts hanging up for Valentine's Day so from there the decor was born.  I picked up a pack of red, white, and pink streamers at the dollar store, some cute napkins on clearance at JoAnn fabric, and ordered a few balloons.  Everything else I pretty much had on hand.  We had the party at lunch time (between her naps) so I just did a simple menu of egg salad sandwiches & a batch yummy gluten free butternut squash "mac n cheese" in the crockpot along with chips & guacamole, and veggies & hummus.

The biggest stress for me was birthday cake.  Riesling has had no wheat or gluten, no sugar, and very limited dairy.  I was really against throwing all that at her system at once just for the sake of a few good smash cake pictures.  It involved a lot of google searching a little bit of experimenting but it all turned out (I think I will do a separate post with more details and include the recipes) and most important Riesling loved her first lil cupcake. She even had seconds!

I ordered the personalized plate months back from Zulily.  I love that she will have her own little plate to use each year to make her feel a little extra special.

 After her cupcake fun, Riesling was stripped down to display her bulging birthday belly and attempt to run off her 'sugar high.' 

This was followed by a brief period of crying when Mommy insisted on a diaper change and new clothes before opening presents.  So mean Mommy, so mean.  I think she had the hang of the whole gift opening thing due to and extended Christmas.  It seemed like we were opening random gifts from extended family and friends for the whole month of January.  She set right to it. 

It was so cute to watch her.  She so much more stable and confident on her feet now so she was buzzing around to looking for new gifts and sharing her excitement/confusion with everyone.

Grandma got her this stuffed rocking horse that was by far her favorite thing.  She was in love instantly and pretty much couldn't take her hands off it once it was opened.  She was trying to pick it up to hug it.  So darn cute. 

The good thing about small parties is that the end quickly.  It worked out perfectly that the pile of wonderful gifts were opened and the crowd cleared just in time for an afternoon nap.  She slept like a log!  We feel so blessed for Riesling to have so many people that love her as much as we do and were able to help us celebrate such an important milestone.