Griffin Turns One!!!

Griffin's Baton Rouge Birthday was a huge success. The Grandmas of Griffin (GOG) really outdid themselves, making seafood chowder (shrimp, crawfish and crab- Thanks Lynn!) crab and artichoke dip (Barbara) and spinach dip in a bread bowl (Cindy's standard crowd pleaser,) among a horde of other delectable offerings. In typical Louisiana fashion, the food was delicious, vast and fattening. The weather was a balmy 76 and Louisiana was coming through for us.

Griffin was the only baby at the party, but that seemed to suit him just fine. He had the attention of his adoring Grandmothers, his Great Grandma Luci, Jake's sister Kati and my myriad of siblings. Even Uncle MJ made an appearance! Karin and Katie were celebrating with us and Aunt Sandy and Dianne brought fabulous toys for G Dawg. Again, Griffin preferred to massage his cake rather than snarfing as much as he could before Jake moved in with the kale. A highlight was Aunt Kati accidentally dropping the cake on the patio, but everyone knows Doberge doesn't have to be pretty to taste good! G Dawg didn't even notice. Plus, it wasn't like Griffin was turning five and Bob the Builder got decapitated when the cake hit the ground. (Can we build it? Uh, no.)

Something you don't think about while you're party planning for your baby's first (or much at all that first year) is yourself. Somewhere around seven the night before, I realized that I was about to celebrate my one year anniversary of being a Mama, and although I wasn't expecting a cake, it was kind of a big deal. The first Birthday of your firstborn has a special feeling because it was the day you and your partner embarked on this wild ride through parenthood. What a long, strange trip it's been. And we haven't even hit potty training yet.