“Step right up!  Step right up! It’s the greatest party on earth!”  These were the  words printed on the “admission ticket”-slash-invitation to Abby’s first birthday bash to which we invited close relatives and friends (translation: ladies and gentlemen and boys and girls of all ages!).

THE THEME:  Circus! Circus!

DATE:  August 20, 2005

VENUE:  The Skyline Restaurant at the 2nd floor of the World Trade Center Metro Manila served as our “Big Top”.

PARTY TIME:  3:00 PM

Embarassing as it was, we, the birthday family, were late to our own party!  We got to the venue a few minutes before 3:30pm.  But I’m pretty sure the early birds didn’t mind.  They busied themselves with ice cream, cotton candy and popcorn!

THE PARTY SPECIALIST

For a hassle free party, we got the services of a party expert - Kiddie Party.Com. About 2 or 3 months before the party, I searched for the best party specialist who would be able to execute the party we had envisioned for Abby.  Abby’s stage tita, Tita Mia, gave me a list of specialists.  I called-up and emailed all of them.  Some took a while to get back to me (which is a major turn-off!) and some replied right away!  Since it’s  our first time to throw a kiddie party, we had so many questions.  And since we want the party to be memorable not only for us, but for the guests as well, we wanted so many things!  A few weeks before the party, we decided to get the services of Kiddie-Party.Com.  (They have an interactive website:www.kiddie-party.com)  And it’s a decision we’re glad we made!

THE PARTY DECOR 

To be true to our theme, we wanted balloons of different colors.  The place had to look as circusy as possible!  There were floating balloons for the ceiling, balloons on sticks for the railings inside the restaurant and the stairway leading to the restaurant, balloons pillars for the entrance and the stage.  Abby’s Fairygodfather, Mr. Rachy Cuna supervised the styling of the venue.  He decorated the place with teddy bear garlands which all the more brought so much color.  He insisted he got them from Takashimaya, a famous store/mall in Japan (tongue in cheek!).  We  ourselves provided the centerpieces, sculptures ala Cirque du Soleil.  We of course, took advantage of the fact that we are in the export/manufacturing business.  Abby’s Ninang Eloise helped us out with the stage backdrop and welcome banner, an 8′ x 6′ and 4′ x 2.5′ custom made tarpaulin banner respectively.  Stageparents that we are, we wanted photos of Abby on the banners.  Why rent when you can own?! :)  Personalized pa!

THE FOOD

Skyline gave us buffet menus to choose from.  However, we got them to customize a menu for us, thanks again to Tito Rachy.  There were 2 buffets set up at the venue, one for the adults and one for the guests.  The adults feasted on: Tri-color fettucine with meatballs, garlic bread, chicken skewers, pin-wheel sandwiches (very colorful).  There was a carving station of canadian ham w/ candied potato with pandesal and potato augratin served on the side.  For dessert, they had old fashioned chocolate cake.  Not to be outdone, the kids buffet boasted of the following treats:  spaghetti with meatsauce, chicken nuggets with tartar sauce, jumbo hotdogs on sticks and cheese sticks.  For dessert, the kids were treated to colorful mini donuts.  Yum!  A number of adults were caught (on video and on digital camera!) taking food from the kids’ buffet.  Some were getting food for their kids (ok, they were excused) and some for themselves (no excuse! I myself didn’t make it to the hotdogs on time!).

Dondi and I didn’t get to enjoy the food until we got home and ate the leftovers…which wasn’t a lot!

We got food carts from Kiddie-Party: popcorn and cotton candy.  What’s a circus without these treats? :)  And to the delight of all of us, another gift from Tito Rachy is the ice cream corner by Fiorgelato (Tito Rachy’s brother owns the company).  The guests had a choice of having their ice cream in a cup or in a cone.  I had the liberty of choosing the flavors for the party: strawberry, vanilla, bubblegum, double chocolate, tiramisu and cookies and cream.  Bubblegum turned out to be a favorite among the adults also!

And by the way, all the waiters were in clown costume! Ha!

THE ENTERTAINMENT/PROGRAM

Not once have I gone to a children’s party where the host had a “fi and ep froblems”, i meant “p” and “f” problems.  I remember a party at Shakey’s for my niece’s Sophie’s first birthday where the female host kept on calling her “soapy”, as in masabon daw ang pamangkin ko?   We were very uncomrpomising when it came to the choice of host for the party.  We told Jon Sunico, owner of Kiddie-Party.Com, that the host had to be Class A.  He should be able to speak flawless English, conduct games and do magic tricks.  We thought that would keep the kids’ parents at our party very happy.

Jon gave us, for our host, Chubby.  Am I glad we booked him!  He was just perfect!  Jon told us beforehand that Chubby could also conduct games in Bisaya if we wanted yaya games.  He came in a ringmaster costume (again, true to our theme) and his reliable assistant came in a clown costume.  Chubby, need we say, was a hit with both the kids and the older members of the audience.  He conducted three games for the kids and one game for the adults.  His “bring me” game had a twist and had as much adult participation as kids’.  Chubby asked the kids to go to their parents so they could help them figure out from the several clues he gave, what he wanted brought to him.  It was fun seeing the adults rummaging through their bags and pockets for stuff to give their kids so they could win a prize!  Abby’s Ninang Eloise made her son Geloy sit on the winner’s chair while she searched her wallet for a 200 peso bill!  Daya!  So funny!  We found out through this game that nobody, at least not our guests, owned a pager and only one carried a calculator.

The Magic Show was next after merienda.  Most if not all the tricks called for participation from the kids, which is exactly what we wanted. :)  I was surpised to see the adults pay attention to the show.  In kiddie parties I’ve gone to, the non-kids just keep to themselves and talk talk talk.  Thank God that’s not what happened to our party!

Another part of the program was the “Bubble Show”.  This was a last minute addition to the program.  We didn’t decide to get it until the week of the party.  Costly as it was, it was a good decision on our part.  Some of the adults actually stood beside the seated kids for a better view of the show.  My hubby and I were seated on kiddie chairs very near the performers.  And every time they would make bubbles, Dondi would whisper what to me were very funny comments: “Oh, big bubble, that’s a 500 hundred-peso bubble!” or “Wow, small bubble, that’s a hundred peso bubble!” Sira talaga ang asawa ko!

For the candle blowing part, Chubby also called on Abby’s grandparents to join us at the cake table.  We got Abby’s cake, a gift from her Mommy Emy, from Dexter’s.  Chubby lit the candle with a gigantic “matchstick”.  Abby was surprised to be the center of attention all of a sudden with everybody singing the birthday song, which we’ve been singing at home to her way before her birthday.  I blew the candle for Abby after Dondi and I closed our eyes for a few seconds and made our biggest wishes for Abb

Also part of the program was a “Pinata Pull” and the “Balloon Burst”.  Yes, the days of the lowly palayok are over!  I specially liked the balloon burst, where there’s this giant balloon with small balloons inside.  We asked that 20 balloons inside the giant balloon be numbered 1-20.  There was this specially decorated pole with a pin at the end which Dondi, being the dad of the celebrant, used to burst the balloon.  Chubby announced beforehand that balloons with numbers 1-15 will have, as a special price, one of the sculpture centerpieces.  This was magic to the ears of our guests and as soon as it was announced, some of the adults lined up behind the kids.  As soon as the giant balloon was popped, kids and adults alike grabbed a small balloon.  Small balloons were suddenly popping everywhere.  Everyone was eager to find the magic numbers!  In the end, all the sculptures were accounted for.  Some lucky families got to take home more than one centerpiece!

As a side entertainment, we got the services of a caricaturist, also from Kiddie-Party.Com.  His name is Mang Raffy.  Mang Raffy is actually very good!  He made colored circus-themed caricatures of the kids.  The kids got to take home a piece of art along with the loot bags which were given away at the end of the party.  We’re very happy we got Mang Raffy!

OUR THANKS

Abby’s Circus Party wouldn’t have become a success without the help of so many people.  We’ve already thanked them during the party but we’d like to thank them again through this medium:

(in no particular order)

- All our relatives and friends who took time out from their busy schedules to clown around with us.  It meant the world to us that you were able to join us on our very special celebration.  Your presence truly made the occassion extra special!

- Mr. Rachy Cuna for the over-all styling of the event, the ice cream and for allowing me to disturb him so many times before the big day to ask questions.

-Jon Sunico and his Kiddie-Party.Com for doing a wonderful job decorating the venue and for giving us the best entertainer and caricaturist and for the perfect execution of our little Circus!

-The Skyline Restaurant Staff for the sumptuous food and excellent service.  The waiters looked so cute in their clown costumes!

-Eloise Buenconsejo-Mendoza for helping us out with the banners.

-Jeric and Melisse Ramos for “gifting” Abby with the services of a great photographer, Owee Salva.

-Owee Salva for capturing the event in her camera.  The pictures are fabulous!

-Mia Pangilinan, Abby’s “stage Tita” for giving me the list of party experts and for sharing very important info which led us to get the services of Kiddie-Party.Com.  We almost hired somebody else!  Thanks Mama Mia!

-Claire Cuenca, who claims to be Abby’s favorite Ninang (he he!) for being there for me since I was pregnant with Abby.  Being a mommy to 4 beautiful kids, she has shared with me very valuable tips with regards to baby care.  Claire used to hold office in our home kitchen (sometime the living room) and when Abby was still a few weeks old and would cry non stop, Claire would go up to our room, knock softly on the door and ask what she could do to help.  She would almost always catch me close to tears if not crying already from frustration.  Ha ha, those were the days.  And now Claire has become mommy to kids not her own but are enrolled in her dream pre-school, she still manages to look after Abby when I have to be away for a little while to attend a meeting or what have you.  I’m so blessed to have the best sister-in-law in the world.  She’s more than a sister-in-law, she’s a sister.  I love you, sis!

-And of course, last but not the least, I would like to thank my Mom for allowing me to take care of Abby myself.  My Mom is also my Boss and allowing me to become a full time hands-on mom meant “work” had to take the backseat for now.  My mom and I have always been close and I dream of the same closeness and openness for me and Abby.  I hope Dondi and I could give Abby everything that my Mom was able to give me and my brother when we were kids, if not more.  Even now that my brother and I have our own families, my Mom still continues to look after us and she even takes all of us to wonderful vacations!  I thank God for the gift that is my Mom.  Love you, Mommy! You’re the best and you’re a wonderful blessing!  Words will never be enough to express our gratitude for all that you’ve given us and Abby.:)

p.s.  I was hoping to post more photos alongside this blog.  However, the photos are high resolution and with just a few photos, I used up all my allotted disk space.  And since there are over 800 photos from the party (and I got the photo cds only last Friday), I haven’t gotten down to choosing which ones to upload on the net.  I hope to share the pics with all of you soon.

My baby is now a year old!  She celebrated her first birthday last August 17 but the big bash was held on August 20 (that’s another blog! ).  Even if she had a scheduled party the coming Saturday, we couldn’t let her real birthday go by without at least a little funfare.

I slept late the eve of Abby’s birthday to put up some decor in the dining room and to put air in about 30 yellow and red balloons.  Oh, in case you’re wondering, I had a hand pump to do the job! I didn’t want to tire out my jaws and lungs!

When Abby showed signs of waking up, I had several balloons brought into the bedroom.  She was so delighted to see the balloons!  To “almost-toddlers” like her, it must feel heavenly to wake up surrounded by balloons.  Well, there’s still so much in store for her.  After showering her with birthday greetings and birthday kisses left and right, we decided it’s time to go down for breakfast.  Dondi wasn’t feeling well so he took a sick leave from the office. (I think my nose grew just a teeny weeny bit longer!)  There’s so much we wanted to do for Abby.  I guess the celebration is more for us, her parents and the people who love her, since Abby won’t remember any of it.

That day, we had good ol’ champorado for breakfast.  We were careful not to eat so much because we wanted to have enough room in our tummies for lunch.  Since it’s Abby’s special day, we also had a tiny chocolate fudge cake with a candle for Abby to blow.  She needed to practice in time for her Saturday party! 

It’s a bit difficult to work around a schedule when you have a baby at home.  If I had my way, we would have been out of the house by 11:30am.  Abby’s not all to blame though, we had to squeeze in some errands before we finally went on our way to lunch.

For a few weeks now, we’ve been planning about dining at Circles in Makati Shangri-la.  Hotels nowadays are having a “buffet war” where they boast of having stations each with a different featured cuisine.  Circles was supposed to have started it all.  Now, we have a valid reason to explore that much publicized buffet, it being Abby’s birthday!  Yipee!

It was already 1:30pm when Don, Abby, my Mom and I got to Circles.  We were surprised to see the  place full of people on a weekday!  True to its name, Circles was screaming circles.  The coasters and placemats were orange circles.  The drinking glasses had embossed circles on them.  The servers had circles on their aprons.  You get the picture?  :)  The restaurant’s color motiff is orange and black.  With only an hour to go before the buffet closes, we were not to have a leisurely meal this time!  When we go on a buffet binge, we’re usually at the restaurant at least 2 hours before the buffet was to end.  Never mind, we thought.  We’ll just have to make the most of the time we have.  All we needed was a trusty high chair and we’ll be all set.

As luck would have it, their high chair was not at all what we expected.  Sure, it looked good and all but it’s not suitable for a child as young and as little as Abby.  It had no straps, so a small child could easily fall from it.  It was probably made with older kids in mind, perhaps aged 2 and above.  Perhaps it was made with the restaurant’s ambiance in mind!  I would have preferred a “Rubbermaid” high chair, specially the one that came with a tray.  Anyway, one of the servers offered to get a throwpillow to at least make a tighter fit and give Abby a little less room to move about.  We accepted, but we knew that it was going to be a challenging meal for us.

I had to hold Abby with my left hand just to make sure she wouldn’t slip off the chair while I fed her with my right hand.  Dondi offered to cut the noodles from Abby’s soup into little pieces.  We had a little system going on, to say the least.  From time to time, Abby would get bored and would want to get out of the chair.  During those times, we would take her to the buffet so she too could see her handa. 

In the middle of lunch, Joanne, one of the servers came with a big slice of decorated chocolate cake complete with a birthday candle for the little birthday girl.  That’s Abby’s cake number 2 and she was thrilled!  All four of us sang the birthday song while the people at nearby tables watched.  I made a wish and blew the candle in Abby’s behalf.

Because of the limited time we had for lunch, we didn’t quite enjoy the buffet as much as we would have wanted.  There were several stations with special features: Asian (dimsum, Japanese, noodles), Western, Middle Eastern, Salads, Seafood (fresh prawns, lobsters, oysters, etc.) and Dessert with chocolate fountain.  The food, need I say, was great!  I just had a little problem identifying them since there were no “name plates”.  Each station offered so many choices.  The lechon kawali at the Asian station is to die for.  So crunchy!  The roti and curry at the Middle Eastern station was yummy, I just wish the curry was spicier.  Although, I could have made it so on my own but didn’t. The steak at the carving station was juicy!  The prawns, lobsters and oysters at the “Cold/Seafood” station were big and fresh.  And at the dessert station, the cakes were just gorgeous in their little serving dishes of different shapes and sizes.  The only drawback is that they only offered one kind of crepe which was mango and I made the mistake of getting a sugar free ice cream to top it…it tasted bland.  Always get true blue sugar-filled vanilla ice cream to top your crepes and pour lots of chocolate syrup on them!

After lunch we headed off to the Edsa Shrine to hear mass at 5:30pm and give thanks to God for the blessing that is Abby.  It’s good that Abby’s birthday fell on a Wednesday.  There was novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help after the mass.  Abby’s middle name (or second name) is Maria, after Mama Mary and it was perfect that there was a few minutes of prayer dedicated to her.

After mass, we drove back home where we were expecting a few guests to join us for dinner.  When we got to the house, Dondi’s parents were already there.  My Tita Luming prepared Abby’s birthday dinner.  We had our own little buffet at home:  pancit, kare-kare, fried chicken, pata-tim and for dessert: leche flan, vanilla and chocolate ice cream and of course, cake number 3, which was chocolate mousse.

My brother’s family also came.  He and his wife Claire are Abby’s ninong and ninang.  With their 4 kids in tow, we really had a party at home!  Also present was Abby’s Ninong Chad (Dondi’s brother) and his wife Lyn. 

After a filling dinner, we all gathered around the dining table so Abby could, yet again, blow the candle from her 3rd cake for the day.  We then had our ice cream and cake!  Yum!  It was already late when Dondi’s side of the family said their goodbyes.  We only had one more thiing to do before we could call it a night…open gifts!  Abby got some new toys, clothes and diamond earrings from Tita Baby (Ninang Claire’s Mom) and a matching necklace with diamond pendant from Ninang Claire and Ninong Edward.  We like!

It was already almost midnight when we called it a day.  The birthday girl was pooped! We took some more photos in our sleep clothes before showering Abby with some more kisses and hugs and happy birthday greetings.  We truly had a blast on Abby’s first birthday and we eagerly looked forward to Abby’s first birthday party on the 20th of the month where more people - family and friends - will celebrate with us.

Abby’s 1st Birthday photos.  Enjoy viewing the photos as much as we enjoyed taking them!