This past weekend, we celebrated E’s first birthday. That’s right, a year ago our sweet baby girl entered this world unexpectedly, filling us with both joy and fear as we waited to see what the world outside my womb would have in store. It’s been an incredibly difficult year, full of hospitals, weight checks, therapy sessions, feeding issues, tears, fears, desperation, and anxiety, but also smiles, giggles, blowing of raspberries, sibling hugs, screeches, cuddles, snuggles, joy, and love.
E’s birthday party was…perfect. An amazing friend, whose pictures sometimes grace my blog, Sarah Culver of Sarah Culver Photography, came to visit and take pictures of the party. The weather was amazing. We were surrounded by friends and family, all eager to celebrate our baby girl. We did a fun little hot dog bar, watermelon, and a carrot tahini salad. My mom brought a black bean and corn salsa with chips, and I made lavender lemonade to drink. Because E still doesn’t do much of anything by mouth, I skipped making a cake and went with chocolate avocado pudding, which she was willing to take a few tastes of! This makes 3 birthdays now (N’s first 2 and now E’s first) that I’ve managed to make a delicious, but still wholesome birthday treat (N had a sweet potato cake made with date paste and topped with avocado “ganache” and fresh whipped cream, then a flourless chocolate cake sweetened with date paste; E’s pudding was also sweetened with date paste).
Kids played in the backyard. Adults talked and laughed on the deck. Friends came in as a surprise. And I pumped for a full year (and am continuing!). E was happy and all smiles. We have more hurdles to overcome, but we are celebrating her being here, being healthy, being alive. Hurdles mean she’s fighting, she’s making it, she survived.
HOT DOG BAR
Beef, nitrate-free hot dogs of choice
Buns of choice (husband insisted on “soft” (aka non-whole grain) ones; I at least kept the ingredient list to a minimum and avoided dyes and corn syrup
Toppings:
Kimchi
Ketchup
Mustard
Salsa
Arugula
Onions,
Cheese
BBQ Sauce
Relish
Horseradish sauce
Watermelon Salad
Watermelon
Lime Juice to taste
Fresh Mint
Carrot Tahini Salad – from Smittenkitchen.com
Can be made ahead of time; I kept the pistachios and chickpeas on the side, both to keep them crispy and to make the dish more allergy friendly
Lavender Lemonade
4 cups water
1 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 Tbsp dried lavender
1-ish cup honey
Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, add lavender (I did it in a nut milk bag to make it easy to remove without additional straining), add honey. Let steep for about 20 minutes or until lavender flavor is as pronounced as you’d like. Add fresh lemon juice. Chill. Serve over ice, with a splash of sparking water, or with vodka.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
1 avocado
2-4 Tbsp date paste
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
salt
cinnamon
splash of coconut milk as needed
Blend or process in food processor until smooth and fluffy. Chill and then devour.
Kids played in the backyard. Adults talked and laughed on the deck. Friends came in as a surprise. And I pumped for a full year (and am continuing!). E was happy and all smiles. We have more hurdles to overcome, but we are celebrating her being here, being healthy, being alive. Hurdles mean she’s fighting, she’s making it, she survived.
HOT DOG BAR
Beef, nitrate-free hot dogs of choice
Buns of choice (husband insisted on “soft” (aka non-whole grain) ones; I at least kept the ingredient list to a minimum and avoided dyes and corn syrup
Toppings:
Kimchi
Ketchup
Mustard
Salsa
Arugula
Onions,
Cheese
BBQ Sauce
Relish
Horseradish sauce
Watermelon Salad
Watermelon
Lime Juice to taste
Fresh Mint
Carrot Tahini Salad – from Smittenkitchen.com
Can be made ahead of time; I kept the pistachios and chickpeas on the side, both to keep them crispy and to make the dish more allergy friendly
Lavender Lemonade
4 cups water
1 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
1 Tbsp dried lavender
1-ish cup honey
Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, add lavender (I did it in a nut milk bag to make it easy to remove without additional straining), add honey. Let steep for about 20 minutes or until lavender flavor is as pronounced as you’d like. Add fresh lemon juice. Chill. Serve over ice, with a splash of sparking water, or with vodka.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
1 avocado
2-4 Tbsp date paste
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
salt
cinnamon
splash of coconut milk as needed
Blend or process in food processor until smooth and fluffy. Chill and then devour.