Lil General's First Birthday Party

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of that evening was the smile on LG's face and how happy he was in the company of some sane adults - such a welcome change than seeing his parents every minute of the year that just passed by.

We had a small gathering of about twenty odd friends on Saturday evening to celebrate the wonderful year we had with Lil General. I was all anxious this time round last year as to when he would cease to exist as a foetus and appear as a real person. Technically, it wasn't his birthday yet on Saturday - 15th December. We just planned the party for a Saturday so that there wouldn't be anything hush-hush about the evening and everyone could be relaxed without having to worry about getting back to work, school the next day which would eventually put the hosts at ease as well. (I know such a selfish thought!) I was against the idea of having it on a day that wasn't LG's birthday but sometimes being practical helps - he is at such a age that the celebration is more for the happiness of his parents and it doesn't matter to him if we celebrate it a day or two earlier or later. For that matter, he wouldn't mind such a gathering every day - for him life is a celebration everyday.

The party didn't have a theme. With the both the boys at home sick the past fortnight, all the time and effort was spent on feeding medicines and tending to them which left little room for anything else. Of the Ferrari and Orange theme, we had finally settled for the Orange color theme as LG can better relate to colors now than Grand Prix. Eventually, I had to drop the Orange theme as well, as I couldn't get customized invitations, orange colored balloons and collage of his pictures from every month, in place on time. The music we had initially chosen was classical masterpieces from Beethoven / Mozart. So, we kept it simple - few balloons around the room and a "1" shaped black forest/strawberry creme layered cake with a musical candle.

It never once occurred to us that he would be uncomfortable amidst strangers. He has received unknown faces quite well in the past without being a clingy child in public. The only thought racing my mind that evening before we started was his crankiness due to lack of / disturbed sleep in the afternoon. The thoughtful Seniol made it easy for us by asking us to come in a lil late that gave me a good 30 minutes to put him to sleep. LG was still asleep when I picked him up to leave for the venue. Once we were there, he was all fresh and chirpy eager to go to others - enjoying the antics and the warmth of everyone's shoulders.

Posing for the camera comes naturally to him but I regret not having enough and good pictures of the evening. There were a bunch of eight kids of all ages who had a great time running around in circles and their moms found the evening opportune enough to let their hair down without worrying about what their kids were upto.

I was told the food - (regular North Indian cusine with Chilli Paneer and Veg Manchurian for starters and Carrot Halwa, Gulab Jamun for Dessert ) and service was good.

I know some of you stop by here regularly. Thank you for coming and making the evening special for us. I hope you enjoyed as much as we did.

Happy Moment : Every minute of the evening

Sad Moment : Both set of Grandparents' absence.

Naughty Moment : LG picking on Nidhi's mask during the kids' photo shoot

Carefree Moment : Seeing the lil' girls run tirelessly around the hall through the evening

LG turns one on 18th December.