Milly’s Birthday Party
Milly’s birthday party was just so sweet! Watching her grow into a vibrant one year old baby girl has been my greatest joy. One thing really stood out to me at her party: this sweet girl is really, really loved. Also, she hates cake! Which was quite hilarious as her crowd of admirers all looked on. She didn’t even touch it, and cried because she was “all done” before she even started. Bless.
Can I be real? I don’t look at Pinterest. I don’t like the whole “pinterest-perfect-birthday” mentality, and babies are babies so they aren’t going to remember how many details we plan for their birthdays. But in the days leading up to Milly’s birthday party, I started to feel it. I started to feel the pressure, the heat of having it to be perfect because I’m a photographer, because she deserves it, because all the moms around me are throwing perfect parties. I didn’t like the icky feeling that went with it.
I called my sister, and she spoke such life to me. So I wanted to share it with you here, because it brought me freedom.
Let’s keep perspective, mamas. Pinterest perfect birthdays are put on by moms who often wear themselves out to make them perfect. Don’t do all the things: Milly won’t remember it, you won’t, your guests won’t, and you’ll be stressed out along the way. Choose just 1 or 2 things that are really important to you, and stick with those. And then be joyful planning a simple birthday party! Soak in more time with your baby instead of more time in the kitchen. For me, it was paper invitations and making Milly’s cake! I know I’ll never do paper invitations again, and I wanted to make her a fun and special cake myself. Even though I knew I could call on some of my cake artist friends, I stayed up late the night before her party making it, and I enjoyed it immensely. (Even though she didn’t eat it, I ate enough for both of us!)
Also, it’s okay to ask for help. Milly’s grandparents brought all the food and balloons, and Rachel her wonderful nanny made all of the adorable chocolate covered pretzel favors!
I hope this encourages someone today. Let go of the perfect and just do you. Turn off Pinterest and remember what you loved most about your birthdays growing up. My favorite new tradition? Waking up Milly at 3:26am every birthday morning and snuggling her for a few minutes (Thanks Lorelei), wishing her a happy birthday.
Invitations: Minted
Giant Pink Balloons
Milly’s star headband
Her Cake Recipe (Warning: a blast from the past blogpost from yours truly!)
Milly’s Baby Book
