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Monday 27 April 2015

#Microblog Mondays: One!

Girl Wonder turned one this past weekend. Happy happy! Joy joy! (And still so surreal. In a good way.)



The party hat is actually a leftover from her costume for Fasching (or what they call Carnival in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also a big deal in this super-Catholic European country). It had a Day of the Dead theme and she wore it with a little skeleton onesie back in February.

H and I had a protracted negotiation over the type of birthday cake Girl Wonder would get. He wanted one of these sophisticated sponge cakes with a fancy fruit arrangement and layer of gelee. That's apparently traditional in Austria. To my mind though, a little kid's birthday cake isn't worth the paper plate it's served on if  it's not 1) slathered in sickly sweet icing that can be liberally smeared and 2) covered in enough fluorescent food colouring-infused sprinkles that you'll probably have to peel your kid off the ceiling later. Funny how the cross-cultural fault-lines in a marriage will emerge in the unlikeliest of places, huh? In the end, since strictly speaking Girl Wonder hasn't been introduced to gluten-based foods yet, the fancy-schmancy Viennese cake won out because that meant she could just eat the gelee with fresh fruit (which I grudgingly admit is the healthier option <cue sullen shrug>). But I'll get my smeary, food colouring fest next year; just you wait.

We wrapped a few of the hand-made (and some hand-me-down) toys that her cousins sent all the way from Canada, but otherwise didn't overdo it with presents, since I kind of hate that consumerism often trumps celebration at these things. Girl Wonder's delight is really generated from tearing the paper at this age, rather than playing with the actually contents. She happily did that for over an hour!

The grown-ups drank prosecco and toasted this amazing little being in our midst. A good day.


Written as part of Mel's Microblog Mondays. Check it out here to participate.



18 comments:

  1. Happy birthday sweet girl!

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    1. She says thanks, and sends (belated) birthday wishes to your tiny perfect!

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  2. Happy birthday Girl Wonder! I love the hat!

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  3. Oh man, How are our kids already 1?? I know it's so cliche to say that, but still!

    She looks absolutely overjoyed in that photo. Girl wonder, I hope the new year brings her many new adventures (& with you two as parents, I'm sure it will!)

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    1. I know, right?! It's like the blink of an eye and yet I can hardly remember what life was like before she was here...cliche but true.
      She WAS totally overjoyed with all the paper to tear and being made a big deal of...and I can tell she's looking forward to adventures to come!

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  4. My family always had a tradition that, on the 1st birthday, you got your own cake. Not a smash cake, but a full sized cake. I think they liked watching us explore and tear into it. My sister has carried on the same tradition. Oh, and they are always bright fluorescent cakes. ;)

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    1. It sounds like I'd fit right in with your family ;)

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  5. Wow a year already. Happy birthday little girl!

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  6. Happy birthday to her!!! She looks so happy :) What a cutie!

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    1. Thanks! We lucked out; she really is an easy-going, happy little soul.

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  7. Happy birthday! Can't believe it's been a year already.

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  8. Happy birthday, Girl Wonder! I absolutely love the hat! :)

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    1. Me too! I think it's the coolest costume-y thing I've ever made!

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  9. Belated happy birthday Girl Wonder.
    That Viennese cake sounded enticing. :) And paper tearing is so much fun.
    I am dropping here from Microblog Monday.

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  10. Belated birthday wishes to Girl Wonder and all of you!! A beautiful celebration for a beautiful girl. Wishing you so many more.

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