Birthday bash worth all of the work

My son turned 1 on Friday. I floated through the day as if it was my own birthday. I mentioned the milestone to everyone within earshot, beaming with maternal pride.

The truth is, I’m proud of myself as well. My husband and I made it through a year of parenthood relatively unscathed, which is no small feat, as any new parent will tell you.

So it was with great joy that I planned his birthday party: construction theme, in honor of my husband. He secured hard hats and orange barrels and cones for the guests to wear. I dreamed up “demolition” games for play in the basement for the children who attended.

I even managed to make a pretty elaborate cake, even though my baking skills previously only extended to garlic bread and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. I managed to coordinate a personalized invites, plenty of seating for more than 20 people, affordable decorations and a variety of food and drink for young and old. Hey, Letitia Baldrige has nothing on me.

Through my party planning, I realized that these first few years of birthday parties will involve prepared activities and prizes for Peanut’s little friends. After all, kids are happy when they are engaged and charmed when they get a little keepsake of their own. But this just adds another layer of anxiety to deliver a positive experience for our guests. I mean, at times it felt as if I was coordinating a lunar landing versus a birthday party.

As the first guests came to the door, I had a sudden wave of panic sweep over me. Was there something I forgot? What if the room was too cramped? What if the kids thought my much-prepared games were lame? What if I dropped the cake?

It would have been devastating if Peanut or the other children didn’t have a good time — or if the adults weren’t comfortable. What if the house wasn’t clean enough? What if someone accidentally let the cats out of their room?  What if the baby had a complete meltdown because of all of the excitement?

I just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves — first and foremost the pint-size guest of honor. And I didn’t want anything to go wrong.

As guests streamed in, I started to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor. People were laughing, children were playing: “This is going to be a great day,” I thought.

Then a friend walked in and, with a giant, warm smile, announced to the room, “Your dog peed on my leg in the driveway.”

— Sarah Leach is assistant managing editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com or (616) 546-4278.