Eden Amelia is One Year + One Month Old

I'm sure your first thought is…"Really?  She's going to continue doing monthly updates even though Eden has turned one?  Really?!?"  But don't worry.  I have no intentions of trying to continue to update every month now that she has hit the one year mark.  Eden's little toddler personality is just blossoming and I want to be sure it is documented here on the blog!  I'm also going to post a video (or two) for your viewing pleasure because I feel that pictures just do not do her justice!  Don't get me wrong, she's adorable but she's just that much cuter in action. ;)

Just in the last few weeks, Eden has started doing some really cute things.  While we were in Florida, she learned the word "uh oh" and likes to say it repeatedly.  At first, she said it all the time whether an accident happened or not.  Now, she likes to say it when she drops something on purpose.  It's kind of frustrating but mostly just really, really endearing.  On our way home from Florida, she learned how to open and close the mouthpiece on her water bottle.  I am so proud of how quickly she is catching on to things.  I think she has already graduated to Erikson's second developmental stage of autonomy vs. shame.  She is trying her best to be independent and gets very frustrated when she can't complete a task on her own.  I am trying to do my best to allow her some independence without expecting her to do everything on her own, obviously. Saturday, she was being really loud around my niece who was sleeping so I put my hand over her mouth to muffle the sound and I moved it on and off her mouth to make a fun noise (you know what I mean, right?  It's really difficult to describe!).  Well, she has been doing it to herself and me ever since.  Haha!  I think my favorite new thing she does is puts her hands up when you ask her a question, as if she's gesturing, "I don't know!"  She is also pointing at a lot of things.  No, maybe my favorite thing is her dance moves.  They're not necessarily new but she is dancing more often these days and loves to shake and nod her head. She also puts her hands up in the air and shakes them around.  I wish I had a good video but every time I take my phone out to video her, she gets fixated on my phone and stops dancing.  That's all I can think of right now.

This video is kind of old but it's the best I've got of her dance moves...


Eden's Dance Moves from Mary Brown on Vimeo.

And this is a more recent one of Eden reading me one of her favorite books…

Eden Reading a Book from Mary Brown on Vimeo.

Eden's 1st Birthday Party

Your child won't remember his or her first birthday party so it's best to keep it simple, right?  Well, I agree with that, in theory, but I am a party planner by nature so I could not help but put a little bit of effort into it.  This was honestly more of a celebration that Jeff and I had survived the first year of parenthood!  I deserved a party!  With cake and ice cream and fun decorations.  I decided to try to stay grounded and not spend a ton of money.  I also did not want to try to do too much myself.  I honestly think I struck the perfect balance.  I only got stressed out and overwhelmed once about a week before the party and my friends stepped in to offer help and everything was finished on time with no problem at all, really!  And I don't think I spent an exorbitant amount of money, either.

After the compensatory Pinterest search or two (or ten), I decided upon an ice cream theme.  I knew this was slightly unconventional for a winter birthday but I didn't care.  I threw convention to the wind and settled upon this adorable theme.  Enjoy all the details in the pictures that follow.  Speaking of these pictures, most of them were taken and edited by my generous friend, Megan.  It was so nice to be able to just enjoy the party without worrying about taking any pictures.

First, the details...

I commissioned this piece by a local Mom/artist.  It was her first of this type so she allowed me just to pay for supplies if I agreed to be a prototype.  I readily agreed and I'm so glad I did.  It turned out perfectly! 

Eden's 1st Birthday outfit.  Onesie (see below) made by Little Fisher Market.  Pants from Target (Carter's brand) and tutu made by me.

Close-up of embroidered onesie by Little Fisher Market.

Smash cake by me. Adorable mini cake pedestal from Michael's.

Ice cream toppings.

Ice cream cone cupcakes!  This was my first time making these (well, I did a practice run a few days prior, if you must know) and they turned out super yummy!

"Happy Birthday Eden" and 12 months of pictures banners by me.

Instagram prints from Walgreens formed into a number one made by me (idea from Pinterest).

This cupcake cookbook sits on my kitchen counter all the time.  There just happens to be some cupcakes with ice cream decorations so I turned it to this page for Eden's party.  What can I say, I love details!

Ice cream banner by me.  There was also one hanging above Eden's birthday canvas.

My little decorations as a backdrop for Eden's high chair (picture by me, hence the crapiness).

My table setup (excuse the picture quality…this was mine, too).

I found these adorable coloring sheets online, printed a few out and had them lying on the table with some crayons for Eden's friends to color.

**Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the adorable favors.  I bought really cute little vintage ice cream bowls & spoons from Amazon and filled them with ice cream shaped marshmallows!

UPDATE:  I found a picture of the favors!!!  Better late than never, right?  Here you go…

Our guests…

The birthday girl!

The birthday girl opening her gifts…

This doll was my and Jeff's present to Eden.  She was custom made by Hidden In My Heart Dolls.  She has an adorable little pocket on her body where I can tuck verses and notes.  I've been wanting to buy one for several years but the woman who makes them has taken quite a bit of time off to focus on being a wife and mom.  She recently started making a few and after I commented on one of her Instagram pictures about wanting one for Eden's first birthday, she contacted me to set up a custom order.  And she gave me a discount!  So blessed.  

Thanks, everyone, for the lovely gifts!

I scream! You scream!  We all scream for ice cream!

The birthday girl and her cake!