Social Butterfly

Makaela went to three birthday parties over the span of two weeks. For some reason this was so crazy to me. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me that all her little buddies, so close in age, would obviously all have birthdays close together. Common sense, I sometimes lack. 

I'm glad Mak's birthday is one of the later ones, because now I've gotten to see how other people tackle the all important FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY and I've learned what seems to work well. 

Eeeeeee, baby girl's birthday is SO soon. I just can't believe it. Okay, I'm going off on a tangent. Reel me back in before I launch into the detailed plans for her party.

She has four little friends that she spends time with every week. We've met them at playgroups or story time and now regularly hang out. Makaela seems to love hanging with her pals, and especially enjoys playing with toys they have at their homes, that we do not have! 

The other moms and me all agree that the kids are a lot less clingy to mommy when they are in a different space and with other people. Win, win. 

Oh and they really do seem to learn from each other. It may sound funny, but after hanging with her friends Makaela always seemed more determined to try new things (like walking!).

It's been fun to watch all the kids grow and hit different milestones. They are all unique and it is wonderful. Some have more teeth than others, some walk, some scoot...you get the point.

The first time I took Makaela to a playgroup I was super nervous. I was worried other parents would be judgmental and would sit there comparing the kids "Well MY daughter..." Eww. Who likes that?! But fortunately I've been lucky to meet some cool parents! We mostly talk about random non-baby related stuff, but when we do get on the topic of baby we tend to talk about how we miss napping and sleeping through the night :-p

My advice to anyone looking to take their little one to a play group is to not get discouraged. You may not love the first one, or the first five, that you go to, but you will eventually find one that is a good fit for you. I take Makaela to a few different ones, and they definitely each have their own "vibe." 

And yes, that is cake on her face. Incredibly delicious chocolate banana cake, to be exact.

Can't leave a birthday party without a messy face now can we? Of course not. That'd just be silly.