I have never felt time literally speeding by so fast until I became a parent. It feels like yesterday that I was pregnant – writing letters to the little one inside my tummy (unsure and curious whether it would be a boy or a girl), measuring my baby bump, lying on the bed for hours just to feel the little one move and give me a tummy-punch and counting down months/days for its arrival. And all of a sudden, she arrives and then one year is gone.. just gone even before I could realize!

The last one year has been a joy ride with my bundle of joy. Though days have become shorter and busier since she arrived, she has changed our lives in many ways.. all for the better.

Her 1st birthday is something that I have been looking forward to several months in advance. I wanted to do everything on my own as a small token of love.. something my little girl will look back many years from now and feel special. So I started picking ideas from here, there and everywhere. Pooh and Sunshine are two friends from whom I drew a lot of inspiration. Pooh sent me a list of party blogs, which were of great help.

So weeks before the big day, I began my work. Between co0king, household chores and baby sitting, I stole time. At first I was discouraged by the lack of craft materials in our country. But later I found out a wholesale paper shop that had everything that I needed. Thanks to DH who helped me out in the vetting and votting (i.e. cutting and pasting)! And here’s the end result after weeks of labor 🙂

There are a few other crafts I did, but unfortunately forgot to click pictures 😦

A week before her birthday I thought I’ll try out a sample birthday cake with layers and icing. To my complete disappointment, it turned out to be a total disaster and I was on the verge of giving up baking forever. A couple of days later, a friend from college mailed me asking me not to give up, but give it a go once more as a daughter would really appreciate it someday. So.. I tried. I baked two cakes – a vanilla chocolate cake with butter-cream frosting and a plain chocolate cake with both butter-cream and chocolate frosting. It did not appear very professional, but to my satisfaction it tasted good 🙂

By God’s grace, everything went on well.. better than planned. I guess my girl had fun. Someday I dream of showing her the pictures and I hope to see her smile in pride!

‘Our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style!’ Psalm 144:12

‘Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may tell it to the generation following.’ Psalm 48:13

(Birthday promises from Noel Thatha!)