Maile's first birthday

Maile is officially the ripe old age of one and nothing says one like having that very first birthday party.

Planning that first birthday party is very tricky. On the one hand, it's a huge milestone not only for the celebrant but also for the parents, at least that's what I hear. On the other hand, let's face it, years from now, the celebrant will not remember her first birthday and only memories shown in pictures will tell the story.

With that in mind, we went the simple route of inviting just family and some very close friends. It was your basic cake and ice cream party, with some chips and dip, cheese and cracker combo holding back the hungry until the celebrant was scheduled to go to town on her first birthday cake.

Many people highly anticipate that very first birthday cake to see what the celebrant will do. People generally enjoy watching the child get dirty by diving into the cake. We've even been to parties where parents throw their kids in the cake. We were curious to see how Maile would do considering she definitely likes to keep things neat (a trait she got from her mother) but at the same time, she sure likes to eat and won't hold anything back when it's time to eat.

Maile was quite slow and seemed unsure of what to do when a six-inch cake was placed in front of her. I noticed her test the waters a few times by putting her finger in the cake and looking around to see if what she was doing was okay or not. It took her probably about ten minutes before she actually got into the cake and when she did, she sure seemed to enjoy it. Despite having many faces just stare at her throughout, Maile fed herself the cake, truly trying to make sure she reaches her mouth and not wasting any frosting. She knows that food, especially sweet ones, should be enjoyed and not wasted.

At the end of the day, many presents from loving people were opened and there was nothing left but a little clean up and memories of a happy milestone being reached.