Pooka's First Birthday Celebration!

Last month my sweet little Pooka turned one. I can't believe it! I spent the week leading up to her birthday thinking about that same week one year ago when I was awaiting her arrival. I thought about the luxury of laying in bed and dozing until late in the morning that last week of pregnancy (will that ever exist again?), but mainly I thought about the anxiety and anticipation I experienced. What would the birth process be like, and what would I do after I brought Pooka home from the hospital? Who could believe so much can change in one year! My life is so radically wonderful now with Pooka in it. I don't think I have ever spent a year filled with so many intense emotions: overwhelming love for my baby girl, a strengthening of my bond with my husband, fear and anxiety over first illnesses and shots at the doctor's office, and hours and hours of joy and laughter over the simplest things. And that only begins to describe the wonder of our first year with Pooka!

We celebrated Pooka's first birthday with family and friends at my mother's house in Connecticut. We chose a spring flower theme, and filled the house with daffodils, tulips, and grape hyacinths. I made tissue paper pom-poms in shades on blue, purple, and yellow to match the flowers and invitations from Sarah + Abraham (see previous post). I used these easy directions from Martha Stewart to make them. They are unique, more environmentally friendly than latex balloons, and if you have the room you can store them for use at future parties.

I wanted to bake Pooka's birthday cake myself so I could use all organic ingredients and control the amount of sugar that went into them. I had a hard time choosing between a single multilayer cake and cupcakes. In the end I found this adorable Buttercup Cakelet Pan at Wiliams-Sonoma and made individual flower cakes. I Used Ina Garten's recipe for Lemon Cake and it was absolutely delicious! I glazed the cakes and decorated them with Williams-Sonoma's colored decorating pens in blue and yellow.

Finally, Pooka looked resplendent in her simple blue and white Larissa Dress from Baby CZ (it's only available in the Marrakesh Print online). She got so many compliments! All and all it was a wonderful day and we made memories to last a lifetime. The only bummer was that Pooka woke up the next morning barking like a seal...she had croup! That was the start of over a month of sickness in our house that kept us from regular posting. But we are back in action now and thank our readers for their patience while we convalesced!