A Very Hungry Birthday!

I love Eric Carle books. How can you not love an author that incorporates counting, healthy eating and an explanation of metamorphosis into a book about the most adorable caterpillar of all time?

Obviously, Kio loves his books too. And of course his favourite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

No brainwashing going on here at all.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has 'wormed' his way into several areas of our lives. We read the book on a regular basis - Kio loves to stick his fingers in the holes on each page. There was also our dear friend Mushi-san, who accompanied us pretty much everywhere until his recent demise. And there is Kio's 'nursery'.

When I was pregnant and in full-on nesting mode, I was so sad that it wasn't possible to do up a nursery for the little Bean. As our apartment is rented and redecorating is strictly forbidden, I had to settle with a cute crib set and a few bits that I picked up from IKEA. On top of that, we had set-up everything for him in our bedroom, so space was more than limited. Then one afternoon while I was killing time before meeting a friend for lunch, (back in the days when I was actually on time, even early for things) I came across a Very Hungry Caterpillar wall sticker set. With no offence intended to said friend, I remember absolutely dying to get home and 'decorate' the nursery.

It isn't much but it's pretty cute, and recently Kio has taken a real interest in the dots; pushing them like they are giant buttons.

As an aside, if anyone ever tries to tell you that non-adhesive wall stickers are repositionable or that they will withstand the humidity of Japanese summer - They. Are. Liars! I've had to put double-sided tape on all of them. Fingers crossed that the wallpaper survives when I decide to take them down.

So yes. We like the Very Hungry Caterpillar (VHC).

As such, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I went with a VHC theme for Kio's first birthday.

I would like to say that I was full of creative, one-of-a-kind ideas for Kio's party but it took all of a five second Google search for me to come up with (aka steal) these little numbers for the big day.

Like the invitation with VHC as the 'n' in one.

  

Or the VHC cupcake cake.

I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with the layout of the cupcakes. I decided that I would not be able to put them out from the beginning of the party because the buttercream icing would melt. But when it came time to set it up, Kio was tired and a bit clingy and wouldn't let anyone but mommy hold him. Obviously, I had done a practice run and knew exactly where each cupcake should go (OCD much?) but Shin had to set it up freehand. There will certainly be a map to follow next time.

I'll leave it up to you to decide if I'm joking or not...

Not being overly crafty, and extremely short on free time these days, I decided that I wasn't going to make the decorations. Besides, back in November I found a VHC Happy Birthday poster at one of the local import shops so decorations had been taken care of long ago.

One afternoon I was sharing 'my' party ideas with the Sugar Fairy (who sadly would not be able to make it to the party with her Sugar Family, because they would be in Hawaii - sad for us anyway) and I told her about some VHC inspired cookies that I had seen during my Internet searches. I mentioned that I would love to make them, but between work, and lack of talent there was pretty much no chance that I would take on the project.

You have to be careful what you say to that woman!

A few days before she left for Hawaii these arrived at my house - complete with little holes and all!

Thank you Sugar Fairy, you are the best!

Seriously, you are freakin' awesome.

So we had VHC cupcakes, cookies, decorations and finally there was Kio's 'smash cake'. 

I had seen pictures of babies desecrating their birthday cakes online; they were so adorable and I wanted to give Kio the chance to take a swing at his. Plus, his egg allergy meant that he would need a separate cake anyway. So the final addition to Kio's Very Hungry Birthday was decided.

On the day I think that Kio was a bit overwhelmed. As I mentioned before, he was clinging to me pretty fiercely and was crying more than usual. I think that is possibly why he didn't go to town on his cake. I was expecting a massacre but he poked at it a bit and seemed pleased to leave it at that.

After his cake, Kio took a nap. "It's my party, and I'll nap if I want to..." and I think that did the trick. He returned with a vengeance, working the room and chattering away (mostly to himself). And once the presents appeared there was no stopping him!

These are two of my favourite pictures from the party.
 

 A new car!

That box could not be opened fast enough!

Although there weren't many little people present, the big people (from near and far) made the day; spoiling Kio with fabulous gifts and love. What a lucky little dude.

Happy 1st Birthday Kio!