Reagan’s 1st Birthday

September 18th, 2013 in About Me, Parties

Could this be the last time I celebrate a child’s first birthday? I’m not even going to think of that right now.

There is this sweet little company that if you know who they are you will notice my girls in their clothes, reading their books, with their art prints on their walls, carrying their lunch boxes etc. It is a company over in London called Belle and Boo, and I just adore them. So my mom, my sister, and one or two friends sent me a link to their birthday party line. Funny thing is I had already bought it! So my sweet Reagan got to have a Belle & Boo birthday party.

Shae was so excited for it to be Reagan’s birthday, she kept on exclaiming to her, “Reagan’s birthday!!” and we sang to her all day long. Bad side of it is all of her gifts were promptly stolen away from her after opening them. Then when trying to get them back she was swatted over and over on the head. Being the youngest will eventually pay off Miss Reagan, just you wait.

Reagan is a mover! She is the wiggliest, fastest, earliest to get around baby of our clan. She is also by far the smallest. I am just starting to see her personality because the first 10 months of her life were very hard on all of us, she was not a happy baby. She loves me, she loves her mama, that is a trend in this house. But you know what is really fun is to see her trying to keep up with her three older sisters. This must be why she is so on the go and moving around so fast, she just wants to keep up! She likes to crawl onto things and throw herself off. I recently had to just get rid of her nice high chair and put her in a cheapy table one. Because even when I buckled her in as tight as I could she found her way out! And would just stand up and laugh at all of us as to say, “HAHA SUCKERS!!” But I was worried about her falling so now she is in something that pins her down without the chance of escape. Reagan is a really great sleeper, thank you for giving me four little girls who sleep so well and start doing it so early. IT SAVES ME. I have not figured her out with eating; she doesn’t enjoy cookies or muffins or sweet breads. But she chows down on a bowl full of black beans. Well now that I type that out, that is pretty good. She likes to be on the move all day, outside, in her sisters’ rooms, wherever. Except from 3pm to 7pm where something takes over her body and she screams the whole time for me to hold her. She shares a room with Shae, and sometimes I find her covered in toys and books while trying to sleep because of her very helpful older sister. During the day she goes to the dog bowl to take a drink. I should try to fix this but I do not have time. I tell myself it builds up her immune system. I am excited to learn who she is and what she is like. Poor girl didn’t have the greatest few months of life, lots of screaming involved. We sure do love her. People comment that too bad she wasn’t a boy. Or that it seems like we really did try for a boy! Which isn’t true in the slightest, I wanted her to be a girl, and was so relieved when we found out she was a SHE. I have my four “Little Women” and her middle name Jo is in honor of that.

Oh, this is going to be a long post! Lets get to the party….

Big thank you to Design Mom who years and years ago shared her tradition of giving her kids 4 things. We have done it ever since and it makes for the perfect amount of birthday presents.

For games we did pin the tail on the donkey, a cute fishing game, simon says with only animal sounds. You don’t always have to cater to the older kids! It is ok if they play baby games to appease the person who is actually celebrating the birthday.

I made a gluten free and sugar free chocolate cake. It turned out really good. Maybe it didn’t turn out so good after the 2nd slice and it had been sitting on the counter for 2 days. BUT the first day, freshly made, dang it was good! (recipe is here) I bought some Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes for our sugar loving kids and friends. The flowers are Reagan’s birth flower, Asters. That is a cute tradition we have in our home is to have the girls’ birth flowers on the table for their celebration.

When the girls are born and after watching them for a couple months I order them a print from Belle & Boo of what I think their personality & looks will be like. I have picked some spot on things, Reagan’s took a bit longer for me to figure out. But I think I did a good job, this is the one I chose for her: