The moment you start to get used to the idea that you have a baby and BOOM – your once tiny infant turns ONE! And then you have to get used to the idea that he’s rapidly becoming less of a baby and more of a KID every single day! Seriously, guys. Isn’t there supposed to be some kind of “pause” button on this whole “time” thing? I cannot even tell you how fast this past year has gone by. Our sweet son Grady turned one a few weeks back and we celebrated with a nautical themed birthday bash a few days before his actual birthday followed by presents and a trip to the Sea Life Aquarium on the actual day. We had a wonderful time and made lots of memories with our little cutie!

We also gained a few pearls of wisdom throughout the first birthday process that we thought we’d share with you all.

• Planning your kid’s first birthday is like planning a mini-wedding. Pinterest is just as saturated with cute baby stuff as it is with pretty centerpieces and pastel bridesmaid dresses. It’s SO easy to go way over board for an occasion that the guest of honor won’t even remember. And yes, I do realize that thanks to the popularity of the open bar, many couple’s don’t remember much of their wedding either.
• Walking four dozen helium balloons to your car and attempting to stuff them into an SUV on a windy day should be an Olympic event.

• Choosing a party theme that matches your kid’s nursery is a brilliant idea. His room looked pretty bare for a few days, but it was totally worth it for all the fun ways we were able to re purpose his stuff for the party decor.

• Don’t be disappointed if your kid doesn’t like cake. Grady was NOT a fan. He put his hand in it, took one small taste and was pretty much done. After watching 15-20 YouTube Cake Smash videos of babies literally attacking their cakes the night before, we were a bit disappointed that he didn’t make a bigger show of it. Apparently, he takes after his Daddy who is also not a big sweet eater. He definitely didn’t get that from me! I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like.

• Getting your one-year-old a drum is a great idea. That is, until you discover that he’s capable of playing it surprisingly loud for such a tiny person. And that you (and your neighbors) can hear it from outside your house. Honestly though, it may be loud, but he LOVES it.  When it all comes down to it, the look on his face is worth the fact that our neighbors probably hate us.

• The Aquarium is a pretty fun outing for a one year old. Lots of colors, movement and really good air conditioning (especially helpful for this time of year.) Grady loved watching all the fish and relaxing in his stroller while we explored the place.

Here’s a list of where we got all the goodies:

Boat Cake: Piece of Cake Desserts (Thank you Kevin!)
Smash Cake: Piece of Cake Desserts
Pennants & High Chair Banner: Seasonality Designs by Deb
“One” Banner: Etsy
Ship Wheel: Hobby Lobby
First Birthday Sign: Etsy
Snack Boxes: Ahoy – Nautical – Party Popcorn Boxes
Drum: Remo Rhythm Club Floor Tom Drum