While I have had parties at our house before, I think today was the true "Coming Out Party" for our place. It was the first time that every room was filled with people, and most especially filled with kids. And it was the first time I got to do my "Super-Mommy" impression by making everything from Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches to potato salad and the famous "Nuts and Bolts" from my childhood.
Yes, that's right folks. It was Jamey's first birthday party! Lucky for us, his birthday was on a Saturday. With 30 adults and 15 kids, it was sure to be a full event. Full it was, and yet very successful. From the enjoyment of the food down to the opening of the oodles of presents, it was great. I never realized how many kids there are among my circle of friends or how many friends Jamey already has: Christopher, Jaeda, Ciara, Calen, Anthony, Isaac, not to mention all the big kids like Max, Jack, Ben, and the Boswells.
At first I was worried. Jamey was playing his clingy game where he didn't want anyone but Mommy or Daddy to hold him. He didn't want to eat much, but he didn't want to play too much with the kids either. In spite of that, he still did okay. I am not sure meeting so many new people at once is his idea of fun.
Opening presents, too, was not at first a hit. Jamey ripped a bit of paper here and there, but was more excited to open and close the cards. So I quickly assigned he and I roles. I would quickly open the card, give it to him, and pull open his gift. Lucky for me, he soon got some interesting thing to occupy him. Thus, rather than having him pull to crawl away, he was happy to sit in my 
lap and play with his new drum or kiddie laptop. (Yes, I know, isn't he too young for this, but if you were unable to use your laptop when he was in the room, you would want him to have one of his own too.) Needless to say, he got lots of goodies. The nice thing is that I love all the gifts he got. I can honestly say he will enjoy every one of them.
lap and play with his new drum or kiddie laptop. (Yes, I know, isn't he too young for this, but if you were unable to use your laptop when he was in the room, you would want him to have one of his own too.) Needless to say, he got lots of goodies. The nice thing is that I love all the gifts he got. I can honestly say he will enjoy every one of them. From there, the next big event was the cake, which turned out to be the highlight of the whole party. Jamey had a trial run of this at my parents' place last weekend and really just liked poking at the icing. I wasn't sure how well he would do. Surprisingly, he let us leave his crown on his head, and stared intently as a crowd gathered around his high chair on the back porch. Thankfully cousin Drew came over to blow out the candle, as it was his birthday too. And then, we laid it down, laid the gauntlet down before Jamey and asked, "Do you dare take on this chocolate cake?"
At first, there was a gentle poke at the icing. Oooh, gooey. Then, I decided to lead by example. I dug my fingers into the cake and stuck some in my mouth. For a few minutes, he got more adventurous. And soon, he was raking the icing up in his hands-- not having put any in his mouth. It was a few handfuls later, and a few minutes, when he dipped one finger into his mouth. His eyes
perked and he eyed the cake differently. And soon, the raking was just for fun, it was for food. After that, there was no stopping him. Using his diaper as a napkin, he rubbed some all over himself. And when I leaned down to pose for a picture, he realized maybe he should share this bounty. He stuck his hand in my face and I gladly licked a little from his hand. But it was after he posed with Glenn's parents, that he realized he was tired and wiped his eyes... And that completed the chocolate makeup face.
At first, there was a gentle poke at the icing. Oooh, gooey. Then, I decided to lead by example. I dug my fingers into the cake and stuck some in my mouth. For a few minutes, he got more adventurous. And soon, he was raking the icing up in his hands-- not having put any in his mouth. It was a few handfuls later, and a few minutes, when he dipped one finger into his mouth. His eyes
perked and he eyed the cake differently. And soon, the raking was just for fun, it was for food. After that, there was no stopping him. Using his diaper as a napkin, he rubbed some all over himself. And when I leaned down to pose for a picture, he realized maybe he should share this bounty. He stuck his hand in my face and I gladly licked a little from his hand. But it was after he posed with Glenn's parents, that he realized he was tired and wiped his eyes... And that completed the chocolate makeup face.
After that cake, many people left and the crowd tapered down to mainly people that Jamey sees on a regular basis. He was happy to share his new toys with them! In the end, I had to leave a crying child in his crib because he was so overtired. He didn't want to be held of fed. He wanted to sleep, but he wouldn't let himself. At least not for 3 minutes.
Charlie, my photographer buddy, was present to take pictures and I am so glad he was there. I will post up the pictures from the party on Snapfish tomorrow and put a link here. If you have Facebook, you can catch them there too. Otherwise, you will have to stick with the few I post here. Enjoy!
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