Am I letting myself go?

Written by: Ginny April 20 2010

Charlotte's first two birthdays were a sight to behold. (You can behold them on this site.) She turned 1 in Paris, where we held a crepe party at a friend's apartment.

When we came back to the States, we held a Parisian Soiree at a rented clubhouse, and my friend the professional party planner helped me pull together a beautiful event, complete with pink martini glasses filled with Cheerios, French toys and photos, a giant Eiffel tower centerpiece, fresh Gerbera daisies … I could go on and on. Instead, here's a picture:

I even made Martha Stewart-worthy (OK, they were at least worthy of my high school Home Ec. teacher) fondant-adorned cupcakes, which took me a good few hours.

And because that wasn't enough, we had a third 1st birthday party for Char at a P&N photo shoot (August 2008 issue).

When baby girl turned 2, I decided to make the party more about her (and a bit less about the adults) and threw a fun Noah's Ark-themed bash: “Noah's friends came 2 by 2; Charlotte wants to party with you!” We had a barbecue while the kids had their faces painted, received balloon animals made by my husband the stand-in balloon artist, and went on an “animal roundup” treasure hunt. This time, I hired a gifted friend to make a gorgeous themed cake.

So Charlotte turned 3 on Sunday, and get this: No party. We had a fun family dinner for 16, cupcakes and presents, and really, Charlotte was just as thrilled as if we'd had a real party with friends, but I'm concerned that this could be the beginning of a downward trend for me.

I've heard that subsequent kids' parties never rival the first's, but come on, I haven't even given birth yet! I know I'll love baby #2 just as much (well, I don't know that, but everyone tells me so) – I just hope he doesn't feel bad when his parties are kind of lame and I take pictures only on special occasions.

This year's pictures by Sara Dermer.

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