Celebrating the first birthday at home. That's why I chose DisneySea for the last day of being zero.
Chapter 1: I struggled with how to celebrate the first birthday
As my child's first birthday approached, I was secretly struggling.
——How should I celebrate the first birthday?
——How should I celebrate the first birthday?
There are many options.
First, there's a photo studio.
If you have a professional take the photos, they will naturally be beautiful.
The costumes and sets are cute, and it will be a memory that lasts a lifetime.
But, the price is also significant.
Looking at the plans, 40,000 to 50,000 yen easily flies away.
They say "memories are priceless," but
if possible, I'd like to keep the damage to my wallet to a minimum.I also thought about a trip.
A family trip would surely be wonderful.
But traveling with a baby is already a big job before you even leave.
Changes of clothes, diapers, baby food, snacks, favorite toys, backup changes of clothes, and backups for the backups.
Before I knew it, the luggage was like moving house.
Adding travel and accommodation costs to that, it's hard to call it casual.
Thinking about it that way,
the most realistic option is definitely at home.
No need to travel.
I can move according to the child's mood.I can also be flexible with my own health, as I often have stomach issues.It's kind to both my finances and my physical strength.
...Yeah, I understand that logically.
But.
When I open social media,
a sparkling world of first birthdays was spreading out there.
Handmade smash cakes.
Stylish fortune-telling cards.
One-sho mochi rice cakes with names on them.
Gorgeous decorations.
And,
super cute costumes.Everyone is amazing.
The love is amazing.The more I looked,"I want to celebrate properly"
the feeling grew.
One year old is truly special.
For the parents,and for the child,it's surely a once-in-a-lifetime major milestone.
That's why,
I want to make it a memorable day.
If possible, gorgeously.
But honestly, I want to make the preparations easy.
I was torn between the desire to celebrate gorgeously and the desire to spend it in our usual way without pushing ourselves.
Holding both of those feelings, I couldn't decide on an answer for a while.
Chapter 2: Our family chose an at-home birthday
After much deliberation,
what our family chose was an at-home birthday.
The reason is very simple.
I didn't want to push myself.
That was all there was to it.
Since it's a special celebration,
I could have gone all out if I wanted to.
But I felt it wouldn't be right if the parents ended up exhausted from the preparations
and had no energy left on the actual day.
What I wanted for the first birthday was
not a perfect celebration, but
a time where the whole family could smile peacefully together.
Thinking that,
I decided to enjoy it within my means.
First, a smash cake🎂
Handmade is lovely, but
this time I bought one at a nearby cake shop.
The price was about 1,500 yen.
It was much more affordable than I thought,
“Oh, isn't this totally fine?”
and I felt a little happy.
I didn't buy a new outfit.
What I chose was
the ceremonial dress I had them wear on the day we left the hospital.
Since it was a two-way all-in-one type,
I was able to have them wear it like a dress.
The clothes that were baggy and
hid their hands and feet when they were just born
had become a knee-length dress when worn at one year old.
Just that alone
makes my heart feel full.
The decorations, too,
weren't all prepared from scratch.
The
HAPPY BIRTHDAY balloons to stick on the wall
were already purchased at Birthday beforehand.
Furthermore, at Seria, where I just happened to stop by,
a tiara with “Birthday Girl” written on it and
a “1” decoration to stick in the cake were discovered.
These kinds of
“cute things I happened to find”
really boost my mood.
The first birthday present and
the stuffed animal that has been with them since birth were also prepared,
and the room gradually became birthday-ready.
I arranged those items
nicely,
and turned a corner of the house into a self-photo studio.
To tell you the result—
this was a huge success💮
The photos were more than gorgeous enough.
Even without going out of my way to buy a new outfit,
I had absolutely no regrets.
Rather,
because it was the outfit from when we left the hospital, I feel like I could feel their growth since birth even more strongly.
The white dress was also full of celebration vibes and cute.
It doesn't have to be luxurious.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
That day,
the whole family was able to smile
🌷 Just that alone, as a first birthday celebration,
I feel was already enough.
And actually—
on this day,
I had two things on hand.
That, even looking back later,
“I'm glad I prepared them”
I didn't know yet that they would become things I could think that about.
Chapter 3: A sudden thought about the “last day of being zero”
Touching on what I mentioned at the end of Chapter 2,
“the two things I had prepared for this day”
their true identity was—
a DisneySea 25th anniversary balloon and
a
paper cutout of my child made at Mermaid Lagoon.
—But why were these two things
“for the first birthday celebration” lined up?
For that, I need to go back a little in the story.
I had decided that the first birthday itself
would be celebrated at home.
But, I suddenly thought.
—If the moment of turning one is special, then the last day of being zero must be just as special.
The last day of being zero
also only happens once in a lifetime.
That moment
will never come back again.
Once I realized that,
I felt it was a bit of a waste to just spend it aimlessly.
Then, where could I go without pushing myself?
That was when
DisneySea came to mind. Actually, my husband and I used to be annual pass holders. It is a
special and beloved place
packed with many memories from the times we visited. We had always talked about wanting to go there as a family of three someday.
As luck would have it, we also had a discount coupon.
“This is it, we have to go.”
Once I thought that, the desire to go outweighed any hesitation about the expense.
—The balloon and the paper cutout were things we got at DisneySea that day. We
did not yet know at that time
what role they would play on the actual birthday.
Chapter 4: To DisneySea
And so, the
last day of being zero years old arrived. Our destination was
DisneySea. ...That said, I had some anxieties leading up to the day. Of all days, the night before was
a night with very intense crying
⚡. With fragmented sleep, I could hardly say I had slept well. My child didn't sleep much in the car on the way there either, so it was
Disney while sleep-deprived. Just reading that, it sounds pretty tough.
And another worry was food.
I often had days with a loss of appetite or nausea, and I felt
“What if I go all the way to Disney and end up exhausted because I can't eat?” I had those feelings too. But that was exactly why I thought: I don't have to try to enjoy everything today.
The purpose of this Disney trip is,
to make a paper cutout at Mermaid Lagoon.
And,
to take a commemorative photo of the three of us with Mediterranean Harbor, which could be called our “usual spot” as a couple, in the background.
If we could just do that, I would be satisfied.
Because I had decided that, I felt surprisingly relaxed. On the day, we didn't push ourselves from the morning and got ready slowly.
We entered the park around noon.
This timing was
actually a great success.
There was almost no line to enter, and we got in very smoothly. The weather was sunny too☀️. Plus, it was
not too hot.
I was quietly grateful for this. As for food, my appetite wasn't perfect, and I still felt a bit nauseous. So,
I shared with my husband at the restaurant and only ate what I could.
Just not having to think “I have to eat everything” made me feel much more at ease. And, right after entering the park, the 25th-anniversary balloon
that I bought on a whim because it was cute, ended up being a huge hit🎈. It was a big success with my child, who was starting to get fussy. When I brought the balloon close to their face, they giggled and were in a good mood. At that moment, I felt from the bottom of my heart,
“Oh, I'm glad I bought it.”
After that, we took frequent breaks on benches and in shops.
Not pushing ourselves and going around at a leisurely pace.
Perhaps thanks to that, it was
much more comfortable than I had imagined.
I didn't get exhausted and we spent the time peacefully. And we were also able to ride
Sindbad, which I had always wanted to ride with my child. Moreover, since it was empty, we also went on the
Caravan Carousel.
The time spent watching my child groove to the music while enjoying the attractions was
happier than I could have imagined
🍀
After that,
we headed to Mermaid Lagoon.
What we had made there was
a paper cutout of our child.
Actually,
we already had one for the two of us as a couple.
And now,
we added a version for our child.
The three of us in the family now have matching ones.
It’s such a small thing,
but it made me so happy.
After that,
with Mediterranean Harbor, which used to be our “go-to” spot, in the background,
we took a commemorative photo of the three of us.Being able to stand together and take a photo in front of that unchanging scenery—
the sight of the three of us standing there
really touched my heart.
“Let’s take a photo here every year,”
we said to each other, and left the park feeling completely satisfied.🌈
Also, going with a baby,
I realized many things.
First of all,
you don’t have to go on many attractions
to have a great time.
Even just walking around, the scenery and atmosphere,
and the music playing were things we could enjoy together with our child.
It was a completely different way of getting around compared to when we went just as adults, but it was fulfilling.
Also,
balloons were surprisingly useful items.If you attach one to your stroller, finding your stroller after an attraction
is a breeze.
It was excellent as a landmark.
🎈Another personal discovery was
the restrooms in Arabian Coast.
They were relatively empty, and there were many times we could use them without waiting.
It’s a small thing,
but it’s a huge help when you’re with a baby.
Of course,
it’s not all easy.
My child, during wait times or on attractions,
would sometimes try to touch people nearby.
So, you can’t take your eyes off them.
There are times when you have to stay constantly alert.
But, even including that,
I felt that this is a time that only exists now.
They need a lot of care.
You can’t take your eyes off them.
Things don’t go as planned.
Even so.
The day we spent at DisneySea
with our child on their last day of being zero years old
was a more precious day than I had imagined.
🩵
Chapter 5: The Reason It Was the Right Choice
After spending the last day of being zero at
DisneySea, I thought about it again.
I'm so glad we went that day.
——I truly feel that way.
There are several reasons.
First of all,
I was able to hold my zero-year-old child
so many times.
When at home, holding them
tended to become something
“I do because I have to.”
Holding them because they cried.Holding them because they were fussy.
Holding them to put them to sleep.
Of course,
that is also precious time
🕰
But at Disney, it was a little different.Even during wait times.Even while resting on a bench.
Just looking at the scenery next to each other,
or listening to the music,
I was able to hold them with a calm heart.
Not “I have to hold them,”but
“I want to hold them.”That was the feeling.
And above all,my child’s eyes
sparkled at everything they saw.
The scenery.The music.
The attractions.The balloons.
Everything was fresh,
and I think everything was fun.
More than when at home,
strangely enough,
they fussed less.
Just watching that,
I felt happy too.
The second reason is,
even if the childremembers nothing,
the parents will surely remember.
Memories of being zero,
surely won't remain with the child.
People oftensay that.
Indeed,
that might be true.
But,
I didn't think that meant
it was meaningless.
That day,
we
took many photos and videos.
And,
even though not much time has passed,
I have already looked back
at the photos and videos of the last day of being zero
many times.
Every time I do,
I remember even the atmosphere of that day.
The face that smiled at the balloons.
The small body swaying to the music.
The sparkling eyes enjoying the scenery while leaning forward.
Everything,
is properly preserved.
Even if the child doesn't remember,
it remains in the parents' memories.
Just that,
I thought was worth enough.
And finally.
The biggest thing was,
that I was able to properly savor the milestone.
When leaving Disney,
I always feel a little sad.
“I don't want to go home,”
I always think.
But,
the way home that day
was a little different.
Along with the usual sadness,
another emotion was layered on top.
——Ah, zero years old is ending now.That feeling was,
happy, yet
sad, a
somewhat strange sensation.
Tomorrow,this child will turn one.
Of course,
today or tomorrow
doesn't mean something will suddenly change.
But,
an era is certainly ending.
The time when they were a newborn.
The time they learned to roll over.
The time we started baby food.
The days I chased them around as they crawled.
Many memories of being zero,
slowly flowed through my mind.
More than the moment they turn one,the moment zero ends,
felt a little more special.
Perhaps I,
rather than wanting to celebrate the birthday itself,
wanted to properly mark the end of
the irreplaceable time of being zero.
Not just on the first birthday,
looking at the last day of being zero,
is surprisingly recommended 🫧
Because that day,
only comes once in a lifetime.
Chapter 6: What connects zero and one
And then, the first birthday arrived.
In a corner of the self-photo studio,
there was something I had quietly decorated.
The 25th-anniversary balloon I got at Disney,
and my child's paper cutout.
I quietly brought the memories of the last day of being zero,to the first day of being one.
That was the feeling.
The balloon,
even now, weeks later,
is still floating.
Although it has deflated slightly,
just like that day,
it sways in the room.
“It's still floating,”
when I play with my child while saying that,
I feel happy for some reason.
The paper cutout,
I even chose the frame at the park,
and had it finished as a product.
Next to the paper cutout from when we were just a couple,
I lined up my child's paper cutout.
It was when we finished the shoot and decorated the entrance.
The three of us as a family, finally complete.
I suddenly thought.
——I didn't prepare this balloon and paper cutout
to place at the birthday venue,
I thought.When we went to Disney,
I was just happy,
I just wanted them,
and just brought them home.
I never thought that the next day,
they would color the first birthday,I didn't think of that at the time.
But,
I feel that's why it was good.
If I had calculated it,
it surely wouldn't have turned out this naturally.
Something I happened to get
on the last day of being zero.
That,
found its place properly
on the first day of being one.
Even without trying to connect things exaggeratedly,memories connect on their own.
I feel the balloon and paper cutout
taught me that.
Zero ends,
and one begins.
At that boundary,
having the same balloon and paper cutout.
It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but
I felt it was like a story.
Every time I look up at the balloon,I suddenly remember
the last day of being zero.
Perhaps,
that day hasn't ended yet.
Big events or special preparations,
aren't necessary.
Just,
bringing home what you like,
at the timing you like.
As it turned out, that
became the bridge between zero and one.
Maybe that level of
laid-back approach is just right.
Today, too, somehow,
we keep moving forward.
That's good enough🌱
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