First Birthday Madness

Baby's first birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I have to admit it--I've started going just a little crazy about it.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not going to be featured on TLC's Outrageous Kid Parties.  There won't be a petting zoo, circus, or fair rides.  Heck, there won't even be a clown.  It is more that I have become obsessed with the details.

First, I had to find the right theme.  Kira loves giraffes, so I went to Party City and various craft stores in search of a jungle-themed party set.  For baby's first birthday, they had: Sesame Street, Princess, and Sports themes.  Thankfully, partycity.com had this set:

 Perfect!  (Why am I so obsessed with this?)

The other big question: What about the cake?  I've been to Kroger, Publix, and Walmart in search of the perfect giraffe cake.  Of course, the cute book full of cakes is focused on licensed themes from every kid's show you can think of with surprisingly few general ideas.  I found one jungle cake at Walmart that would in no way match the above set.

My mom considered making the cake, but I stressed her out too much.  That design is too round, I don't like the colors on that one, etc.  We finally decided I should find a bakery so I wouldn't be mad at a family member if the cake was wrong.  (In case you are wondering, Publix has a giraffe template and can use the colors from the plates and napkins.  Here's hoping it looks good!)

This whole thing is rather odd to me, as I am usually easy-going about these kinds of details.  I hated wedding planning because I just didn't care about most of the small stuff.  Aside from my dress, I think someone else could have picked everything, and I would have shown up happy.  Why am I worried about the dark green jungle cake matching the plate set?  WHY?

I don't know.  But I hope I don't drive my family crazy before the birthday party gets here.  :)