THE birthday party

If a picture says a 1000 words, I don't really need to write much about Dutch's 1st birthday PARTY. We had good company, good food, and patio misters to help with the heat! 

 

 

 

To give you a few details:
I made the invitations from a free template from ontobaby.com.  I narrowed down the photo to just one but I maybe did 2 or 3 different invitations and I sent them in the post-because I like getting real mail. I doubt that I will hand make birthday invitations again because they took way too much time and cost way more than they should have :)

  

 

I wanted some sort of cute...cheap decoration for the table and the shade tent. SO once I found beach balls, that was my color and my theme.  Obviously Dutch (and Bart for that matter) didn't care about decorations. I did this for me and the few guests that noticed. Loved them!

 

 

 

 

I love the little flag banners-aka buntings, that are all over pinterest, so I bought the paper and started cutting. Hours and hours and hours later, I had buntings to my hearts content.  (I saved these, so every other birthday party I may do, for the rest of my life- I'm going to use these).

 



 

 

 

One of my favorite things that I did- I mean, that I commissioned and BART made, was the DUTCH subway art.  Bart put his stats, plus some of his favorite things and our saying over the last 12 months.  I love it and now I need to frame it for his bedroom.  I may commission Bart to do this for all our future children's 1st birthday's :)

 



 

The food was great-in my opinion and SIMPLE.  Sandwiches, chips, fruit, veggies drinks and a dessert buffet.  For the labels, I had lifesavers in baby food jars.

All homemade treats! Thanks to my mom for bringing/making stuff for fruit pizza, Kathy for her snickerdoodles and Hillary for her chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting.

 

 

These are the before and during photos! We are so glad that everyone would drive down to be with us and celebrate Mr. Dutch.

 

The kids loved playing in the patio misters and I think it helped cool things off a bit. The real saving grace was all the shade from the trees.

 



 

I have a confession. I've only been to one other 1 year old party beside Dutch's and it was 3 years ago.  I didn't take a gift.  I didn't think to take a gift. I didn't know I was supposed to take a gift (Sorry Holly).  So, when people showed up with gifts, I didn't really know what to think or say. Everyone was very kind. Dutch got great toys, balls, books, bath toys and clothes. We are very lucky/spoiled.

 

 

 

Well, if you have made it this far, I applaud you. Dutch loved the party, the people, the attention and the fun. Thanks.

 





ONE year OLD

NICKNAMES: I can't think of any new nicknames, Dutchy and Mr. Dutch are my favorite. A couple of his cousins called him Dutcher for an hour...
Nicknames that stuck from last time: Dutchy, Mr. Dutch

STATS:
Height: 30.5 inches...................66% percentile..............Went up from the 24%
Weight: 19 lbs 5 oz.....................5% percentile..............Basically the same-went down a %
Head circumference: 46.6 cm.....52% percentile............Basically the same-went down a little



FAVORITE THINGS: Dirt, water, mud, rocks and balls. Do all babies love these things or just boys? And why? He loves throwing rocks. He has this little routine for the backyard, it goes like this; get a rock from one window well, crawl over to the next window well and throw the rock, get a second rock from that window well and then crawl across the lawn to some stairs and my plants. He then throws the rock and tries to pull my plants apart.

Dutch still loves food, except green beans and broccoli. He is not a big drinker though.  He hasn't ever drank a whole cup of milk at a meal or snack and I've tried bottles, sippy cups, straw sippy's and a cup. He CAN drink from all of them, but he CHOOSES to take a drink or two and then open his mouth allowing all the liquid to drain out on his chin, outfit and floor.  Of course he is smiling and thinks it's really funny.  Oh by the way, he also spits his food now.  He takes a nice bite and makes you think that he's eating, but really he's just mashing it up and storing it on the roof of his mouth until he decides to push it out with his tongue or spit it out. Lovely! We are loving apricots right now thanks to our tree in the backyard.

He loves to look and books and flip the pages. He doesn't care if the book is right side up, upside down or side ways, just as long as he can turn the pages back and forth and back and forth!

Dutch loves going to the daycare at the rec. center for an hour. He never once has cried when I drop him off or pick him up.  All the girls know him by name and tell me all the cute things he does, and supposedly their is a little girl around his same age that he loves to play with :)

He loves his soft blue elephant  (that we named Ellie).  He snuggles with it and chews on the ear or the foot and sometimes he will rub his face all over the elephant while on the floor-with his little bum in the air.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Since Dutch's 9 month review, he's started Crab Crawling-as we call it.  He's on one knee and one foot with the leg straight out to the side.  I think its darling and he's a little speed demon but I've had multiple people ask me if that's "okay".  He also pulls himself to a stand and walks around the furniture. Grammie gave him a push and ride toy for his birthday but he can't keep up with it and ends up falling flat on his face- so our solution is an empty box that he slides around.  He is fairly stable standing and can stand by himself.  He thinks he's very big and is proud that he can pull himself up to a cupboard and open and close, open and close and open and close it.
He likes to walk around with your fingers too.

 

 

 

He's started to cuddle and give hugs.  This is more of an accomplishment that Bart and I appreciate.  He's never been a cuddly, content to sit and rock baby. He's on the move, "I've got places to go mom". He is starting to put his head on my chest/shoulder to read books and sing songs and he will nuzzle up to your neck on occasion-which is heart warming.

He talks up a storm BUT no real words.  He will have full conversations with himself, his stuffed animal or me.  I'll ask him questions and he will answer but it's "lucka, luga, kuku, digadiga dig, mamam, rrrrrr,  aw oh."  I do think he says "aw oh" when he drops something or throws something-for that matter.

Dutch now points and is very expressive.  He sticks our his thumb and first finger and gestures to things he sees and things he wants.

Dutch likes to be a helper and always wants to be right where mom and dad are.

 

 

PLACES HE'S BEEN:
I can't remember and I haven't been keeping track of new places. I do know that we haven't been on any vacations or international travel :)  Bart still hasn't recovered from Cancun- 5 months ago.


WHAT WE'VE LEARNED:
Ness: Child proofing is an evolving process- are you ever done?

Mommy is mean because she loves her plants and  won't let me kill them and rip off their leaves.

 Mommy is boring. Kids and animals and other peoples toys are more fun than sitting and playing with mom in the living room.

It's hard not to laugh and giggle when he spits his food and is smiling at me with broccoli on his nose.

The Baby Einstein DVD's aren't working well for us yet. He likes the music but the toy or whatever picture they put on the screen- he wants it and wants to touch it and play with it.

Dutch gets mad.  He closes his fists and his eyes and turns red while growling or screaming.

 

Bart: More like what I haven't learned, or am "un-learning":  I felt like I had feeding down... Nope, now more of it lands on the floor, in his hair or all over his face, rather than in his mouth.  I felt like I had diaper changes down.... Nope, nobody told me our angle baby would eventual not want to lay still on his back and coo while I took care of the poops, now its kicks and rolls and screams and smears!  I thought we had a routine.... Nope, well kinda nope, he's not really that bad. 

Now for the mushy...  I thought I had self-control.... Nope, its hard not to laugh and smile when he blows carrot mush bubbles all over the aisle and shopping cart in Walmart.  I thought it wasn't manly for a dad to think his boy is cute.... I was wrong - he is cute, and keeps getting cuter.  I thought I couldn't love him more than I did....  Again, I was wrong, I keep loving him more and more.