Next, it was on to the party! We had butterflies hanging in clusters from the ceiling, and every few minutes Cassie would stop whatever she was doing to point up and say "Bah!" - her word for butterfly. We also had a pair of butterfly wings for Cassie to wear (thank you Meg!) - she pulled at them at first, then forgot all about them and crawled all over the place with her wings flapping. Cassie had some very special friends at her party - Luke, Owen, Sofia, Nicholas, Joey and Cole. They all stayed very busy with lots of activities - playing with legos, playing video games, crawling up and down stairs, and for some, attempting to eat bits of wrapping paper. It provided the perfect level of chaos for a 1st birthday party! We were happy to have a great group of adult guests too - friends, neighbors and family - which made the party very special!
I decided I'd try my hand at specialty cake-baking for this event. Because Cassie has a dairy allergy, she can't eat regular cake and frosting - butter and milk are off the list! A butterfly cake was a must, so I made a regular version for the party guests and a miniature soy version for Cassidy to dive into. She had a very calm approach to trying the cake - she slowly dipped her finger into the purple frosting, then squeezed it in her hands for a bit. Eventually a morsel made its way to her mouth, and figuring out this was a yummy treat, she took little bites for a few minutes, kicking her legs as she always does when she is very happy! But in the end, only a little swipe of the washcloth was needed - perhaps we'll have a clean teenager down the road (is that possible?)! To top it all off - we're looking forward to a second birthday celebration at Grandma and Grandpa Reder's house next weekend!
Here are a few photos from Cassie's party:
