Sidebar – Fête Accompli

If expertly planned, a baby’s first birthday party will leave her with vivid memories. Here, 11 perfect children recall their favorite moments from that pivotal event:

“I vaguely remember Daddy renting an inflatable bounce-house. A late-Victorian model with lovely gables. So that was fun.”
—Tabitha Grace Spitz, age 7

“Sorry, I’m drawing a blank. Maybe a life-sized dolphin cake?”
—Agnew P. Hernandez, age 5

“My birthday’s in December and Mommy came up with this great theme, ‘Winter One-derland.’ But then the lady next door threw a ‘Winter Two-derland’ party for her twins, totally stealing mommy’s thunder. A lot of drama over that…”
—Holiday Spirit McKenzie, age 7

“Screeching . . . so much screeching . . .”
—Matthew D. Frith, age 4

“I actually thought the Little Mermaid was going to come—like, swim up in a torrent of seawater or whatever. But she just showed up on foot and played a banjo for $300.”
—Anika Eloise Tremblay, age 10

“There’s a photo of me dancing the Limbo expertly, but I think it was Photoshopped.”
—Panther Gottlieb, age 4

“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.Oh sorry, that’s the first line of The Bell Jar.”
—Harmonica Johnson, age 14

“Let’s just say I loved every last hour of it.”
—Tilda Kinkaid, age 3

“It’s all a blur, but apparently my dad—who’s really down on consumerism—persuaded the guests’ parents to observe his no-gifts policy by buying them all new cars.”
—Randolph Chan, age 9

“Tulips. No, hold on, peonies? Narcissi?”
—Peter Wachowich, age 5

“I asked Mom to describe my party, but she just said, ‘Honey, you really had to be there.’ ”
—Lisbon Brown, age 7