Blowing Raspberries: Ceyone's 2nd Birthday Party

Dear Sweet Ceyone,

We celebrated your 2nd birthday with a sweet party at home in Singapore. I started the planning 2 months in advance as I wanted to do most of the preparation without having to cut our time together and running shopping errands. I used lots of online resources and worked with different people.

Here you go buddy!

I explored a few themes and selected the 'sunshine' theme for your party as your name meant 'the rising sun'. The following image of the sun was your party mascot and was used extensively in the decorations. The email invites were sent out a few weeks in advance and the party was planned for Saturday, January 10, 2015 after everyone would return from year end holidays. I loved working on spreadsheets and created one with the details of your party including guest lists, RSVPs, costs, menu and status updates.

I made a trip to Mustafa shopping center (Indian Walmart) one day after office and did a massive purchase of orange and yellow coloured paper, crepe paper, tapes, stickies and other party stuff. My other visit was to Daiso to pick up party plates, napkins, hats, flower balls, confetti cutters and more.

The preparation started during the Christmas holidays when I was working from home and got the opportunity to prepare for your party in the evenings. I went through several tutorials on the web and finally made a series of pin wheel circles, photo wall and you are my sunshine wall for your party. We also decorated the paper cups and paper plates. For several days our dining table was full of paper bits, scissors, stencils, folders and my massive to-do lists.

I was coordinating with many people at the same time to pull everything together on the final day. It felt quite crazy but equally satisfying to see things take shape.

I designed and prepared the welcome board for your party and felt happy by the way it turned out.

Our living room on your sunshine themed 2nd birthday party.

I also did the dessert table with jelly, kitkat, hershey's kisses, cake pops and the cake - all your favourites.

Here's a pic of your infancy onesies that I used as decoration in our home.

Your friend Kiera who lived in our condo was one of the first guests to arrive with mummy Lynn and daddy Dan.

Some more views of the dessert table.

The cake was a 2 tier vanilla cake with butter cream and chocolate filling. It was in our theme colours of orange and yellow with a cute sun at the top. The second tier had your favourite characters - Peppa Pig, Pocoyo, Noddy, Ben, Chip and Dale, Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse.

All the things were wrapped and decorated in your party theme.

There's you - happy, excited and a bit confused on your party. I custom designed your t-shirt as well.

I was lucky to find people who could execute my designs and supported to help me put everything together.

The love of my life - Ceyone!

Bestest pic ever!

Our tiny little happy family - Papa, Mumma and Connie. Papa and I were ecstatic beyond words. Papa was a bit under the weather but visited the doctor just before your party and gulped half a dozen medicines.

Our neighbor and my friend aunty Mui Hong came as the first few guests. You were always impressed by her cute rabbits and huge car.

I was quite a proud Mom that day!

And Papa too!

A closer view of the pin wheels I made doing hundreds of accordion folds. I got quite creative and addicted with it.

More fun moments together!

Connie sweet Connie

The elements of your dessert table at a glance.

I also designed the party favour boxes for kids and customised tote bags for grown ups with their names.

Your dear friend Samar came with his Mumma Mansi and grandma. You were happy and happier to see the huge gift. You insisted on opening all the presents right then and I had to coax you to other things.

The food for grown ups was laid in our balcony. I customized the menu to be starter heavy and we got it catered from one of the popular Indian restaurants in Singapore.

The 'yummies for kiddies' corner with pasta, bread pizza, mangoes, jam buns, gem biscuits and pocky. We prepared the kiddie food at home.

With Samar's family

Our family photo with Tita. Tita became the backbone for running our home smoothly and you loved her to bits.

Candid conversations

It was a slightly windy day and the clouds looked beautiful. Below is a view from our balcony on the day of your birthday party.

I put up your pinata in the morning and filled it with candies and confetti that Papa helped to cut with the shape cutters and punching machine. Just before the party, the pull down pinata opened and everything was on the floor. Tita and I quickly filled it back and put it up again. I panicked a bit as I had very little time left. But we made it.

Your gorgeous friend Vivaan came with Mummy Anoma and nanny Agesha.

Auntie Shruti came with baby Navya. Uncle Partha could not make it for a business trip. But it was a great time with them around.

Your favorite activity was to lie down on the floor and drag things with wheels. We had quite a lot of them including the cement mixer truck, the fire truck and the fire truck.

We prepared for cake cutting.

So much fun to blow the candles with you. I loved all of it so much that I wanted to do another party minus all the preparation stress.

Time to open the pinata - yaay...lots of fun!

Connie soaked in confetti

I also prepared your party hat and stitched the yellow cotton balls to it after several attempts of trying the glue.

Our little Mr. Sunshine - Ceyone - the birthday boy.

Uncle Prem and aunty Anu came with baby Tula.

My friend aunty Priyanka came with uncle Rohit and their twin babies Arjun and Amaira.

Between all the hullaballoo, it was time for your milk. So you went to our room and took a nice drink with Tita.

Anoma and me

Arjun and Amaira

Happy parents - 2 years old.

Feeding you cake pops.

Aunty Tatyana did a good job of capturing our home through her lens and clicked the cute door sign made by Naani for you.

It was time for your evening walk and you went downstairs with Tita and Tatyana for a photo shoot. We got some of your candid shots.

<3 this one!

Papa's boss, Uncle Ashok came with his family - aunty Mona and daughter Pavitra.

Papa's and my office friends

Papa and I also did some sunshine themed shopping for us! It was so exciting to get ready for your party! I'm already dreaming of your next party but just for your friends!

Your friend Tiya could not make it to the party but came later in the week to meet us with mummy Mayuko-san.

Our little home and family was full of happiness and laughter on your big day! Papa and I felt grateful for everything. Wishing you forever more happy birthdays -- this was the second one!