Cake!

The bakery where we ordered Maia's cake provided a complimentary first birthday smash cake. The larger cake matched the decorations. She seemed a little perplexed by Mommy and Aunt Kathleen with the cakes and the candles, and everyone singing... but she broke out into a pretty big grin by the end of the song.

It didn't take long for her to start really digging in.

And smooshing it into her face!

Ah-Dah!

After being covered in frosting, it was time for a bath, and bed!

She did so well!! She went to bed over an hour late and never was there a whine or a tantrum. I was so proud of her!

Presents!

At first, she was mostly interested in the bows. She would just take them and walk away. She had a great time! Shoes!! Who needs toys when I've got these fabulous things. Here... wanna see? After a while, she finally started to get the hang of it. OooOoOo! Fun! Puppets!! By the end of the party, she not only got the process, but decided this bag would make a nice purse!

Maia's Party

Tara, Dave and Rachael arrived at about 11 am, while Maia was napping. After she woke up, we played for a while... ...and then headed out for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. The party got started around 5:00. Dinner, presents... cake... It was a hot night, so we didn't end up spending much of the evening outside. By 8:00, we were FINALLY getting her into the bath and down for the night. Sleepy as she was, she was happily knuckling frosting into her eyes and nose. Friends and family stayed on for a while, but it was much more comfortable inside than out! At the end of the night, I found myself thinking the following things: 1. That went SO well! 2. Maia did better than I hoped she could. Not a single melt-down or temper tantrum. Even with a shorter-than-usual afternoon nap, and getting to bed an hour late. 3. I am so grateful for everyone! 4. Whew! That party was LONG!!! I hope that people stayed because they were having a good time, and not just because everything took forever!