Ollie’s one month bash (Man Yue)

Some weeks back, we threw a “Meet Ollie” bash for those who wanted to meet the latest addition to the family.

The initial decision was not to have a one month celebration (aka. “man yue” which translates to full month party in English, signifying a newborn getting through his first month in the world good health and also a double celebration for the mum who has ended her confinement) for our littlest because the one we had for Liam felt exhausting. Plus I didn’t feel great meeting so many people whilst still holding on to most of that pregnancy weight. But because there were requests to see both boys and we’d thought it’d be a good chance for our close friends to gather before the holidays, we decided to go ahead with one in the end.

And if you know me, you’d know how I can’t resist throwing a party…

(Read on for deets!)

The theme was made simple, so that I wouldn’t stress my talented girlfriends who had to do most of the customized bakes and designing within a very short period of time. I’ve always wanted to do a safari-theme party since Liam’s first birthday but never got round to it. So deciding on a “Let’s Get Wild” animal theme for Ollie’s one month bash seemed like the perfect excuse.

I’ve always loved the look and feel poms poms add to a party but have so far stayed off them for fear that it might be too “girly” and “whimsical” for Liam’s birthday parties. So imagine my surprise when Serene from Most Wonderfully Made suggested how I could use the poms to make the animals instead! That’s not all, she then proceeded to conceptualised the suggested decor and sketched it out for me to have a better idea, complete with colour schemes. Talk about service from the heart! And you know how most sellers just mail you the poms and ask you to refer to the instructions attached in the package? Serene came by my place, taught me how to fluff up the gorgeous poms (yep, pom virgin here) and even created a set of animal features for me to stick on each pom! I was so wowed by the end result of these poms. Serene is definitely one super decorista and I’m so thankful to Angie for sending me her way.

When I created my first sweets and dessert table for Liam’s 1st birthday bash, little did I expect it to be such a hit amongst guests (something they actually expect at our parties these days) and grow into something I really enjoy putting together. This time round, thanks to the Fairy Godmamas who helped conceptualise and design my theme, also suggesting the amazing 3D animal cutouts that you see and had everything printed in crazy turnaround time no less; and my baker girlfriend from Megan’s Cuppies who made all the gorgeous-looking and delicious red velvet cupcakes and chocolate cookies, I managed to pull off a fancier-looking dessert table! Doesn’t the thematic bunting look awesome? It now hang against and compliments Ollie’s dark walnut cot 🙂

The sweets and dessert table was such a highlight at the party. It made me grin just hearing how much our guests, big & small, enjoyed the sweet treats prepared for them that most of the items were wiped out faster than I could grab any for my tummy. I only manage to land my hands on the mini Lemon Meringue Tarts which I deliberately over-ordered so that I could get to eat some. And thankfully I did, because the cupcakes and cookies were amongst the first to finish! (how I wished I ordered more of those too). I’ve such a huge weakness for all sorts of tarts and these Lemon Meringue petites from Joys were yums!

During Liam’s one month party and being first time parents, we were so overwhelmed by everything new that we forgot to give our guests an auspicious token of our appreciation for celebration our joy with us. Sure there were Ang Ku Kuehs and happiness Red Eggs lying around then but we forgot to provide boxes for eager, yearning parents-to-be, grandparents-to-be and great grandparents-to-be to take home. Thankfully our guests were forgiving of our first time parent folly.

This time round, I wanted to make sure that we gave our guests a little something to take home and share with their family. I was sold on Lulu’s the moment I read about it from Angie’s post. I love how presentable it looked and how their various packages allowed me to combine traditional items such as Red Eggs, Ang Ku Kueh and Glutinous Rice – all symbolic of good luck and new life with a modern mix of selection such as swiss rolls, muffins, chocolate/fruit tarts and puffs! And whaddya know, they actually had the theme I had in mind from their selection of 12!

The celebratory gifts were so well-received by our guests (I also like how it’s so easy to hold and not too bulky) that most of them bothered to send a text on how much they enjoyed eating it. I managed to save 2 boxes to treat ourselves post-party and I had no regrets on our selection, especially the very tasty Ang Ku Kueh!

All of Lulu’s pastries are halal and their design team works really swiftly to design your personalised message/photo according to the chosen theme for your approval. What’s the damage, you ask? $6/box, how affordable is that? Cheaper and way more presentable than buying 2 cupcakes from the retail stores!

By now most of our guests who frequent our parties will know that my grand-aunt, the affable & popular “balloon lady” is often the main entertainment and HUGE kids magnet at our events. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to attend Ollie’s one month bash so instead she gifted us a recommended balloon sculptor as her present to Ollie, and boy this fella worked so fast and kept the kids (& parents) happy!

We had a really good time catching up with our favourite people, laughing and feasting and going all gaga over the youngest fella at the party. I was glad that we made the decision to keep the guest list leaner this time round, allowing us to have some decent conversations with our guests.

The party was a roaring success, and I appreciated that most of our guests blessed Ollie with ang pows instead, aware that we don’t currently have the space for more presents.

I had so much fun celebrating the end of my confinement and the one month milestone of our second son. Thank you so much for coming to spend the afternoon with us and saying “Hi!” to Ollie. Till the next party!

Photo credits: Thank you Nadia from Itchyfingers for being the photographer for the event, and creating a surprise video of the day’s events. Most photos here were taken by Nadia, saved for the few I managed to snap with my iPhone.

[Note from Nat: I know how ridiculously delayed this post title is especially if you’re pretty updated with my life. But with 2 kids, a super nanny whose been gone since 6 weeks ago and a husband with an injured back that he can’t even carry his own weight; I guess getting this post out 6 weeks late is still pretty decent yes? 🙂 ]