Toby, Baby Bug and I attended our very first birthday party as a family yesterday. (No, it wasn’t Baby Bug’s First Birthday. She’s advanced but not that advanced.) We went to the birthday party of a baby of some friends of ours. Their little boy turned one. I think this is the start of the season of birthday parties as Laid Off Dad so eloquently wrote about.

It’s funny. A couple of years ago one of our last single friends got married and Toby and I decided to buy them a smashing gift. It cost us a little more than we had but we justified it by the fact that this was our last single friend and therefore the last of the big smashing wedding gifts we would have to buy. Or so we thought.

We were so wrong. After weddings come babies and baby showers and then smashing first birthday parties. We will never ever be done buying presents or attending social events. We should just suck it up and factor it into our budget along with the electric bill. Present giving is a fact of life.

I actually love giving presents and attending social events. It’s just the funds and the thoughtful card making that gets a little tough sometimes.

On the flip side to the never ending gift giving…what’s cool about having so many friends get married at the same time is that now all our friends have babies. We are such a bunch of breeders. I don’t have to join mommy-and-me groups so I can sit around and discuss boobs and poop and prunes with total strangers. I can discuss it with my old drinking buddies. Well, not that I drink but you know what I mean. These are the people we like to hang out with. Instead of discussing the latest camera gear and software upgrades we can now discuss the latest camera gear, software upgrades AND baby poop!

So yeah, we went to a birthday party yesterday. It was a hoot.

The birthday boy is adorable and has amazing red hair just like his dad. It was super cool to watch a giant baby toddle around and stick wrapping paper in his mouth. I couldn’t help thinking, this is how big Baby Bug will be at Christmas. And that means she’ll understand presents and eating wrapping paper! The FUN that will be had! I am so excited I can’t wait.

Speaking of birthday parties… Today is Toby’s birthday and I have a cake to make! I am domestic goddess, hear me roar! Stay tuned as I’m sure I will be taking pictures of the hilarity (of the cake making).