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I tripled the recipe, making three 9-inch round cakes; I used two for a large cake and used a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out three mini layers from the third for the smash cake. With organic raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in between each layer, plus fresh raspberries piled on top, the result was a delicious, naked little cake perfect for tiny hands to dig into. 1/4 cup expeller-pressed canola oil 2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour Layer raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in between the cake layers and finish with vanilla frosting and fresh raspberries on top.

I admittedly wasn’t very good about this before–like most, I usually bought off a registry for baby showers and called it a day. But now that I have some experience under my own belt, I love sharing both personal recommendations with friends and putting together special care packages of some of my own favorite things for new moms. Hanna Andersson pajamas are one of my absolute favorites to give; they’re such great quality and come in a full range of sizes and fun, colorful patterns. Hanna Andersson baby sleeper, our favorite sleepwear for nighttime *Zoe Organics products, love the nipple balm and refresh oil (for mom) and breathe balm (for babies 6 months+ when congested)

Who knew that putting together tiny outfits would be so fun? Before Elsie arrived, and even while she was still a baby, I didn’t realize the joy I would get out of dressing a little person–especially one who is walking. Now she can wear shoes! And she likes when I put them on, and more importantly, she keeps them on (she wore socks only for the whole first year)

Spurred by a week of being sick, which led into a week of vacation, which was followed by a week of house and first-birthday preparations, my detox from the Internet wasn’t planned nor was it 100% unplugged. It was just something that naturally happened as I shifted to in-the-moment needs and stepped away from online activities like blogging, emailing, and overconsumption of Internet information (ahem, aimless scrolling on Instagram and a collection of way too many open browser tabs). We keep tabs on world news and take peeks into others’ lives, all informative and entertaining but things that take time away from our own experiences. I may have missed some things, didn’t read some things, didn’t see some things, but who cares?