Sunday was such a gorgeous day, in the 60’s and not a cloud in the sky. It was definitely our first true fall day. I was so excited for the change in weather, but completely unprepared, as none of Charlie’s fall clothes are washed and I am sadly in need of some maternity clothes for myself. I have had enough to “get by” throughout the summer but will have to purchase some sweaters and maybe even a lighter coat as the weather changes. Since I buy most of my wardrobe (and Charlie’s, for that matter) on Gap.com, I am trying to wait it out to see what they have in store for fall and winter.

At any rate, this little outfit is from Baby Gap’s fall line and I just adore the dark colors. It happened to be easy access for me (in a bin in the office), so on it went for Sunday’s activities. After church, we met up over at Ms. Heather’s with my former women’s small group (my first one in the city!) for a yummy brunch. Lucky Charlie, she got to hang with another Ethan, Ms. Vicky’s handsome little boy. Ethan is very into Thomas the Train, so he and Charlie hit it off right away!

We had such a wonderful time yesterday…so much so that I’m a bit sad about it being over, which I realize is a normal reaction. By the same token, I feel like it was a job well done, and I am glad all the planning paid off. I failed to get a great picture of the decorations I ordered off of Etsy.com…check out Party Poms for some really fun stuff. Our apartment is SO dark (due to the lack of any/little overhead lighting, yay, vintage) that getting any shots of the interior are proving more difficult as the days get shorter.

We filled the inside of our apartment with about 25 purple and gold balloons (also doubling as a favor for the kiddos to take home) and had two gold star balloons out front along with a bubble blower to greet our guests. That was definitely a crowd pleaser!!

And finally, I made these “washcloth” lollipops. Most people make these with baby washcloths for showers, etc…but I found these super bright washcloths from Target and asked my friend Jen for help. I think they turned out pretty cute…for this non-craftsy gal, I was pretty proud of my small contribution!

Once again, we are so thankful to our friends for their generosity. Charlie received many fun and educational things from her pals and we were so touched by all the thought put into her gifts. She also received some darling clothes, which you know always puts a smile on MY face! We are amazingly blessed and Charlie is a more well-rounded and happy (and social) child because of our community. Thank you to everyone who made her feel special yesterday, and everyday. We love you!!!

After cake, the crowd thinned out a bit and our dining room turned into a full-fledged dance party!!

The only baby at the party was Charlie’s friend Miss Georgia. She was so good about letting people hold her and really held her own amongst all the chaos. Way to go, GG!!

After we sang “Happy Birthday” to Charlie, we set her up at her new bistro table with a cupcake and let her go to town. Ethan jumped right in and took a seat next to the birthday girl. After that, Henry and Olivia set their cupcakes down at the table, and before you knew it, we had a double date on our hands. It was definitely one of the cutest moments of the day.

Never underestimate the power of a cupcake when it comes to toddlers. Good thing we had disposable bibs and wipes because there were purple-icing-covered kiddos EVERYWHERE. I looked over at Charlie at one point and she was so intently eating her cupcake, you couldn’t have pried it from her if you tried.

Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed the “big” cake and tried to keep purple-icing-covered-fingers off the furniture.

Here are just a few shots of some of the dear friends of Charlie that came to celebrate her. Vann and I were just commenting this morning on how rare and amazing it is that Charlie has so many kiddos that are around her age!! We are blessed with the greatest community and I can only hope and pray that we will find something akin to this after we move.

The size of our apartment limited us a bit. Last year we had her 1st birthday party outside, and were able to invite quite a few more people. This year, we tried to stick with the kids that Charlie plays with most often. I imagine that’s what you do as your child gets older and it’s less about you and more about them and who they spend the most time with.

We’ll just call these the “Before” pictures…you’ll see why in a little bit…

My other big requirement for this party was the cake. I knew that if we were going to host it at our house (not my first choice, but necessary due to the extreme prices I found at party “places” in the city), than we could afford to splurge in other areas. This journey started out slowly, because so many of the bakeries in Chicago charge upwards of $200 for a child’s birthday cake. I know. Staggering, right?? When Vann’s colleague showed him a picture of a cake she had made for her son and told us where the bakery was (and how affordable it was), we HAD to go there.

It’s called Sweet Signature Bakery, and it’s located at 5708 W. Fullerton, which is a bit of a drive from our apartment but SO worth it. I went in with a picture I found online and the owner, George, literally made it a reality. It was layered chocolate and vanilla cake with custard in between, topped with purple rolled fondant. I got my two-tiered masterpiece, and for an amazing bargain price. And the taste?? Holy cow, AMAZING. I cannot recommend this place enough…they were SO nice and did everything possible to make me happy. George also made a chocolate cupcake for each child.

We have enough cake to last us until next year, in fact, last night I carefully sliced what was left and filled three containers with cake to freeze for later. I thought it’d be great to share it with all the grandparents when they come up for Baby #2’s arrival. I am not someone to take on baking my own cake for a party (as I know some of you are, and I envy you for it!) and am so thrilled with how it turned out!! Here’s a pic of Auntie Em helping me mix up the “Fizzy-Lifting Drink”…

First of all, let me just say that it’s probably going to take me awhile to fully document Charlie’s birthday weekend. We took sooo many pictures, as well as the funniest video you’ve ever seen. It was such a good time, and even more importantly, I think Charlie had a ball. She was mostly well-behaved, and despite some minor interventions involving sharing (or the lack thereof), I am happy to say that my daughter avoided any major meltdown’s!

Now, on to the the outfit. Some friends helped me research my options…I knew I wanted it be mostly purple, as that was the main color featured in all the decorations and treats…and I’ve always wanted a pettiskirt for Charlie but haven’t had the occasion to break one out. This seemed like the perfect time. I ordered the whole outfit from an online store called Miss Things Boutique, and let me just say, I adored it pulling it out of the box. Seeing it on Charlie yesterday was the icing on the cake. Or should I say, she looked like the icing on her cake. You decide…

…or so Charlie thinks so…