Babystar is one year old today. I have all the feelings.

Gone is the cooing sack of sweet potatoes that is content to stare at mama all day.

Gone is the tiny nuzzling squish that would happily sleep on mama for hours.

Gone is the fragile flailing little Tiny so easily fascinated by spinning mobiles and shiny mirrors.

But that’s ok. I am already madly in love with this opinionated little monster that likes to practice her standing when she wakes up in the middle of the night and likes to practice her tumbling while nursing and throws food on the floor even when she is still hungry and looks directly at me while climbing over to the fireplace bricks because she knows she should not do it but needs to check just one more time to make sure the rules haven’t changed in the last thirty seconds.

She can clap hands and STAND UP and give kisses and laugh maniacally while crawling at top speed around the corners of the house to hide but then stop to let me catch almost up to her before taking off again.

Yesterday was the big O-N-E birthday bash, project managed by the Teenager AKA Babystar’s best friend.

The party was perfect. Babystar loved it (likely due to a perfectly timed epic nap right before the party thank goodness). She did look a little concerned a few times, perhaps wondering why there were so many people in her house and where were all of her toys and why is the couch different but her godmother kept handing her watermelon and she had some other small people to play with so she was overall pretty chill. She didn’t even cry when everyone sung happy birthday. (You know, we didn’t do candles. Maybe all the babies are crying because they think their cake is on fire. I would cry if my cake was on fire. I am getting misty over here just thinking about burnt wasted cake.)

We decorated with gold stars and a ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ theme, and used gold, navy, and light pink as our main colors. The Teenager made the cutest cake ever. And then she made cake pops as party favors. (Show off.) The rest of us worker bees hand painted signs and hung tissue paper balls and strung so many stars. It turned out great but of course we were party prepping (and tag team baby wrangling) riiiiiiight up until the first guests arrived so I do not have many pictures of the pretties.

Hey Pinterest People, when do you take the pictures? I love all you do and learned a trick or two for Babystar’s party so thanks for that, but DUDE when do you photograph everything?

We made birthday crowns in lieu of party hats, using star foam stickers to decorate the adjustable foam crowns.

The real fun was out on the patio with water guns, pinwheels, and sidewalk chalk.

The birthday girl’s party outfit was from this etsy shop. She refused the adorable headband. It was so so so so cute on her little bald head but NOPE.

And now it’s time for the breakdown.

PaperieOffPark – customized invitation printable, $14.00

Oriental Trading  – plates, hanging stars, crowns, pinwheels, garland, star glasses, $62.08

Just Artifacts  – mason jar lids, paper straws, wooden forks (a pinterest fail that I will share with you another time), way too much in shipping costs, $39.21

JoAnn Fabrics – cake pop sticks, candy melts, lollipop sticks, glitter paper (to make stars for cake topper), cardboard cake pop decorating stand, $20.16

Micheal’s – Happy Birthday balloons, star stickers, more star stickers, kraft paper, star garland, acrylic paint, paper flags for drinks, pails, bubbles, chalk, envelopes, card stock, giant plastic bin (we used outside for drinks on ice), $40.19, $41.82 (two trips)

Ikea – pitchers, napkins, $18.23

Target – pails, water guns, mason jars, $36.42

SunshineChloeCrafts on etsy – outfit, $24.99

Costco – hamburgers (we made way too many burgers), hot dogs, buns, potato salad, potato chips, fruit bowl (for skewers), veggie tray, bottled water, $96.73

Trader Joe’s – prosecco (to booze up the lemonade for the grown-ups), $45.09

Harris Teeter – cheese, potato chips, beer, watermelon (we cut star shapes to add to the fruit skewers), cucumber (we cut more star shapes to add to veggie platter), soda, cake mix, frosting, lemons, lemonade, raspberries, $83.26

We did not buy her an actual birthday present. She did get gifts from others (which was very nice even though we specifically said ‘no gifts’). I know. Buying things for babies is almost completely irresistible.  I’m working on that, though.

OMFG: $522.18

How much did you spend on your baby’s first birthday? It’s so easy to go overboard on everything! (Especially since I bought the supplies a bit at a time and kept receipts in a drawer and didn’t even tally until just right now.) Got any tips for next year?

RAISING BABYSTAR: $10,187.38

(I sort of knew this post would add a digit to that total but damn. Yikes.)