This post has been looooong overdue because it’s been 4 months since we celebrated Luc’s first birthday. But in mama’s defense: a lot has happened these past months with a trip to Australia and finding out we’ll be a family of four as of this summer. But I still like to share a collection of photos from his first birthday, because it was such a special (few) day(s). Realizing we actually managed to do quite alright, that first year as a family, our first year as parents; I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud (well, after giving birth I guess).
In case you missed it: I shared some things I want to remember when Luc was six months, nine months, and twelve months old.
Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!
We celebrated Luc’s actual birthday with just the three of us. I made a banana pancake cake; just a big stack of banana pancakes with coconut whipped cream in between layers, and fresh fruit on top. Since this kid REALLY loves his banana pancakes in the morning, it was no surprise that this cake was a huge hit.
As a birthday gift we decided on the Grimms Rainbow Stacker, which is not only incredibly beautiful but also a very popular toy for open ended play, something I’m really interested in now that he’s getting bigger. It was a lovely slow and sunny morning, and I’m really happy that we decided to do it like this.
Family Fiesta
Later that week we celebrated it all over again with our immediate family. We thought about doing it at a cool kid-friendly cafe or something, but in the end decided to just do it at home. Mostly because this is probably the last time that we’d have all of us together in our Amsterdam home. This also made it much less intimidating for Luc, since he could just play around with his nephews and his new toys in his own home.
Obviously it was a little more work for us, especially since I wanted to bake everything myself (WHY?!), but it was so nice to have our family celebrate our (no longer a baby) boy in our own home. And the weather was amazing that day, so we could even hang out on our much loved balcony.
I baked two sugar-free cakes, one topped with peanut butter frosting, and the other with cream cheese frosting, and they were both a big success. I also made chocolate turtles (apple slices dipped in chocolate and covered with caramel and pecans), cinnamon buns, and some smores trail mix. My dad brought his signature apple pie, that he’d also made on the day Luc was born (yes: allll the feels). Let’s just say, the food department was covered.
The Day After
It was super sweet to see Luc immediately crawl over to his new toys as soon as he woke up the next morning. He’s always been very good at playing by himself, and one of my favorite things is to watch him explore new things and create his own fun. He has been playing with all his birthday gifts every day for the past months, so I think it’s safe to say they are all big hits.
Wheelybug Tiger | Grimms Rainbow Stacker | Little Dutch Activity Cube | Selecta Pull Along Caterpillar | Djeco Shape Sorter | Nijntje Nativity Scene | Birthday Crown | Play Tent | Wooden Wagon Family Heirloom
At the end of the week we both felt so incredibly grateful and full of love for our kid, each other, and our family. It hasn’t been the easiest of years, with my postpartum and anxiety issues, multiple serious health scares in our families, and the unexpected loss of my mother in law as the absolute darkest day of the year. But if anything, celebrating our son’s first birthday was a good moment to realize how lucky we are to have each other, and that no matter what life throws at us, we’ll be alright ♡.
