Here are some of my favourite moments from the party, as well as some of the details/decor (yes, I succumbed to the powers of Pinterest and party blogs).

Special thanks to Joanna Kam, my talented friend/coworker who designed the labels and gave me so many great ideas, like the cute favour bags. Check out her amazing blog here: joannakam.wordpress.com

I saw a sign like this on some party blog and fell in love instantly. It was super easy to make and set the tone of the entire room.

I cut fringed layers of tissue paper and glued them onto regular party hats in rows.

Personalized water bottles, pink lemonade and striped straws.

Sweet corn. Takes about five minutes to make and it's delish.

Call me crazy but I really wanted to bake Olivia's first birthday cake. It turned out pretty well. It was lemon with buttercream icing and fondant. Even though my kitchen is still recovering from the traumatic mess I caused, I don't regret making this.

Maybe the candy table wasn't the healthiest option. Every single kid made a beeline for it and it was practically empty by the end. Rookie mistake.

Easy appetizer that tastes as good as it looks.

Daddy's girl

Elmo made an appearance (see left) and someone wanted to dance.

She totally grabbed the handle of the knife. Crazy kid.

Having a giggle with her two older cousins.

Taking still photos are becoming harder these days but I do manage to get a few here and there. How else can I document her crazy hair growth, new teeth (there are four so far!) or hilarious facial expressions? Here are a few pics from yesterday, all dressed up for a birthday party. She’s wearing a blouse from Baby Graziella and a dress gifted from Baby Gap (thanks, Rose).

Big thanks to the talented editorial team! We had a blast.

The good news is that Olivia is thriving. She doesn’t seem to miss me at all and even waves me off goodbye each and every morning. No crying outbursts, fists banging on the floor – nada. I expected more drama, not going to lie. I think I was worse off than she was, to tell you the truth.

To help myself cope with not being around as often, I’ve really been trying to live in the moment, hence the lack of posts and pictures of adorable outfits. Here are the few I did manage to take over the past few weeks.

Onesie: H&M (boys section); Tutu: Old Navy

Dress: Gifted (thanks, LC!)

Dress: Baby Graziella

You know what else she’s into? Everything. Not even exaggerating. We had to put up a gate already, lower her crib to the lowest level because she’s almost standing, and block her from things like the Christmas tree, since she pulled all of the lights off the bottom tier, as well as a few unfortunate ornaments that met their untimely demise. It’s amazing to watch someone so little make such a huge mess, but you really can’t help but laugh.

And laugh we do – constantly. When she waves hi, tugs at the back of my pants when I’m in the kitchen (read: not paying attention to her), gets into the open dishwasher to explore, gives big, wide-open-mouth kisses, as well as to her own reflection in our mirrored vanity that’s now covered in tiny fingerprints, makes lip-smacking sounds when she’s hungry and “sings” or babbles along when she hears you singing.

Her word of choice is still “dada” but new additions are, “ya, hi and duck.” Yeah, I’m still holding out for mama, but I think it’s coming because she started saying, “mmm” when I feed her things she likes: spiced apple sauce with her oatmeal, shepherd’s pie, and fruit. She also started feeding herself, and I use this term lightly, things like bread, pieces of cucumber cut lengthwise, Cheerios, and blueberries. Most ends up on the floor and on her face but that’s how they learn, right?

And now for an update on me (and my denial):

I recently made the tough decision to return to work early, (I start Tuesday!), from maternity leave. I won’t go in to too much detail, but I do feel it’s the right choice for both my family and myself. I’ll miss my little O, but she’ll be in good hands (her dad’s), and that definitely lessens the blow of missing out on three whole extra months with her.

Overall, baby O was okay. I have to admit that the first few days were rough and pretty much the opposite of paradise, thanks to a cold, cutting a new tooth and getting used to different sleeping arrangements, but since we had 14 whole days there, she eventually settled and we were able to have some fun.

I’d have to say that the best parts of the trip were also the simplest. Bringing our baby in the ocean for the first time, letting her explore in the sand, wading through the pool in our arms and seeing her little legs kick with such excitement and vigor, watching her flirt with everybody, (little kids and other babies got the most attention) and then dining alongside her at night; she, in a high chair to feel incl., and us in a constant daze about how fast she’s growing. We couldn’t believe our eyes when she devoured bread from the table and wanted to drink from our glasses.

The trip wasn’t without some stress, however. Trying to get her to sleep on the plane (and in my arms) was really trying. I also didn’t take to getting up super early (and often throughout the night) so luckily my husband owned the 6-7AM shift so I could catch the extra ZZZs. But probably the most difficult part was making her balanced meals in a hotel suite with no kitchen. Since she refused the jarred baby food I had brought, I had to go with plan B, which meant using the portable cooking range to make all of her food. We scored a mini fridge so at least that helped and avocados and bananas became our best friends during the day.

This little face is now 8-months-old. She can clap (well, there’s no sound but you get the idea), says “baba” and “dada”, crawls forward and gets into things like bags, drawers, etc., and under furniture, uses her weight (and whatever is handy, like a chair) to try and get up, has learned how to shake her (new) maracas, bounces to music and has discovered her pointer fingers, which she uses to stick in my mouth, up my nose, to pick up Cheerios and try to get them into her mouth. She’s pretty much my must-see TV these days.

Some things she does that make us laugh: the way she backs away when you come near her with a facecloth, tries to drink out of a cup (not sippy), shimmies across the floor backwards and sideways (never forward), smacks her lips and then sticks her tongue out when eating, grabs other peoples’ faces, squirms out of our hands, rotates her ankles (constantly!), has conversations, tears apart a magazine in three seconds and refuses to lay down nicely so you can change her diaper.

Some things that make her laugh: my feet, peekaboo, dolls, anyone dancing, hair in her face (mine), air blowing in her face, songs, the Jumperoo, being lifted in the air, bouncing on our knees, peeking into her basket of toys, waking up too soon, and her own reflection.

Some things that make her cry: getting stuck under furniture, the sound of me blending anything, toys being taken from her in music class (happens every time), getting dressed after a bath, strangers, other babies who cry/scream and falling down from a seated position (only if we make a big deal about it).

Here are a few pics from yesterday in our kitchen. I was making (or at least trying to) her apple sauce. She had other plans. First she dragged the bowl closer to her, grabbed an apple and started sucking on it, put it back, then grabbed another, and so on. She ended up with one in each hand. Her last expression is all, “Don’t even think about taking these away from me.”