Welled-up hope, excitement, and tears preluded this momentous brunch which now feels so much the culmination of them all.  ONE seems to signify the realness of this charmed existence as mother, daughter, family. Our Eivelyn Blair has completed us.

I decided on the theme for our spring baby’s party before she was even earth-side, and as it came together that sunny Saturday morning, I realized just how much it suited her. The charm and whimsy I admire so much in Miss Potter’s writings are so evocative of our tiny girl’s personality.

My mom and I spent an afternoon wielding floral tape and hot glue to make this miniature rabbit tiara. Her dress is from Janie and Jack and the sweater is a hand-me-down from yours truly - knitted by my grandmother. I am so thankful for my mom’s sentimental urges to save everything that might one day find renewed purpose.

The menu was, of course, one of my favorite aspects to plan.

MENU

sour cherry cheesecake baked oatmeal

broccoli cheddar quiche

blueberry scones with limoncello lemon curd

macerated fruit with lemon & ginger

savory lemon & chive cheesecake

carrot cake

Celebration Blend Tea, Herb Water, and Pistachio Iced Coffee*

*(I replaced my simple syrup from the recipe with this.)

I am planning to share the recipe for the baked oatmeal next week, and I will eventually get her caramelized white chocolate carrot cake recipe out to you because it is truly everything.

For favors, we set up a potting station so our guests could take a sprout of spring home with them.

All props to my talented Mama for her picture-perfect backyard and garden.

This cake stands in my top three favorite bakes of all time. Keep scrolling if you are not interested in all the nitty-gritty details of my very own “showstopper” bake, but for the two of you that want to know it all, here’s the breakdown.

I used the Williams-Sonoma Peter Rabbit Cookie Cutters and spent a day flooding cookies with my mom and sister.

The cake is carrot cake layered with caramelized white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and layers of pecan dacquoise. It is frosted with more caramelized white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, and I used Russian piping tips and American buttercream to create the daisies. I then adhered several of the decorated cookies to the exterior of the cake with still more buttercream.

In the end it was my favorite of favorites and Eivie refused to eat a single bite. You win some, the toddler wins some, we’re fine.

This perfect doll of a human is my very own daughter and she’s just the tops.

Happy birthday, my darling Eivie Blair!

Photography by Elijah Ickes

SPRING RECIPES…