Married to Ginger: January 2017

One of my favorite things about Charlie is the way he laughs. He makes you work for it, but the payoff is always worth the effort. It's a full-body experience, and once he starts, he just can't stop. We caught this giggle fest on film, and I have a feeling we'll be watching this one for years to come.

In other exciting news, someone is doing some serious walking! He took his first couple of steps just before his first birthday. He was standing against the same green chair in this video and took 1-2 steps into my arms. He's done it a few times since then, but nothing more substantial than that....until yesterday. He suddenly started walking all over the place - staying on his feet for 6 or more steps at a time. Today, he got even more brave, and we're already at a 50/50 walking vs. crawling ratio.

I'm sure it's only a matter of days now before we never see him crawl again. *Tear* But seriously, these last few days have been so fun. It's adorable to watch him stumble about looking a bit intoxicated but so so proud of himself. We call him the kamikaze because he just takes off - usually toward a hard object or sharp corner - with little to no regard for how he is going to stop.

I'm so excited to share Charlie's party details with you. Somewhere around six months - I think I was inspired after attending Abby's first birthday - it hit me that Charlie would have to have a gingerbread-themed first birthday party. I mean, he's a redhead born right before Christmas, was there any other option? It's amazing I didn't think of it before he was even born.

I love a good theme, and I had so much fun planning this party. I know he won't remember any of it, but I will, and that's enough for me. :) I'd say one of my top ten decisions of motherhood so far was hiring a photographer for the party. Having a pro at the party allowed us to relax and just enjoy it. Because of her great work this is going to be a loooong post - every time I tried narrowing it down, I ended up adding more.

The Details: red, white and gingerbread-y. I ordered the banners, fondant cake topper and invitations from Etsy. I made everything else myself. The best part was having so many decor options since it was a seasonal theme. The worst part was having to decide what to buy! I almost came home with a human-sized gingerbread cookie cutter from Homegoods one day, but alas, common sense prevailed.

Food table - complete with gingerbread man-shaped sandwiches.

We set up a hot cocoa bar with lots of fun toppings!

Party favors - gingerbread snap cookies.

The Party Boy: His poker face aside, I think he had a grand time. I was mildly worried since his nap schedule was a little thrown off that day, and you never know how babies (errr, toddlers) are going to deal with extra commotion. But I should have known better - Charlie is a chill, easy-going little fella, and he was no different on party day. He liked the balloons, and he seemed to actually enjoy all the attention.

His birthday present from Mom & Dad. I think he liked it. ;)

It's my party and I won't smile if I don't wanna.

The Party Guests: It's hard to choose favorites, but I was maybe most excited when I looked through the photos of our friends and family. It's also another reason I was so happy to have the photographer there. I would have never captured these moments, but they are such a sweet reminder of how blessed we are with an awesome village of people who have loved and supported our little family.

#squadgoals

We're working on our people skills.

We're also working on our sharing skills.

How sweet is this?!

Bucket of water bottles - possibly his favorite thing about the party.

The Cake: No first birthday party is complete without a cake smash. Since he's into throwing food these days, I wouldn't have been shocked if he just shoved the whole thing off his tray. Turns out, Charlie LOVED the cake, and he didn't need any help from us digging right in. He would scoop the frosting off the cake and lick it off his hands open-palm style. He eventually got around to eating some of the actual cake too - all washed down with a side of milk. When all was said and done, he'd eaten almost the entire top layer of the cake.