“The very things that held you down are going to carry you up and up and up.” Inspired by this quote and what it means for their son Knightly, David and Drexelle Park celebrated their son’s first birthday with a Modern Dumbo Theme Party. Their company D. Park Photography designed all the inspirational quotes and captured the day wonderfully organized by Bzzy Bee. Be sure to see all of the sky high creativity, playful ideas and read the details to learn more about Knightly and “play” for a purpose.

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Whimsical & Pretty Cloud Smash Cake by Mr. & Mrs. Creamery
• Circus Train Carts full of Milk & Balloon “Bubbles”
• Doljabi Raffle and Milestone Picture Display
• Dumbo Movie Quote Signs and Popcorn Ice Cream

PARTY DETAILS, as as told by David and Drexelle…

Background

When we first heard the words, “Your son has Down Syndrome,” we couldn’t fathom the journey our family would embark.

Just 30 years ago, babies born with Down syndrome were sent directly to institutions without any medical care and were experimented on.  Those that survived lived on average to the age of 25.  Horribly, this practice still occurs around the world.

But in the US, the future for children with Down Syndrome is changing. Today, children with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome live on average to age 60.  There are people driving, getting married, starting their own businesses, buying their own homes, and that is just the beginning.  How?

It all starts with: Early Intervention

On this journey, we found two early intervention programs: the Intervention Center for Early Child (ICEC) and the United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County (UCP).  They have been the answers to our prayers.  For decades, they have helped SO many families like ours with babies that have all kinds of special needs from Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Micro-Premies, and other medical miracles.

Starting at 6 weeks old, Knightly began attending ICEC and UCP twice a week.  He receives group therapy at ICEC and has one-on-one infant stimulation therapy at home through UCP.  Every 6 months, a coordinator comes to assess every area of how Knightly is growing and measures where there are any delays.  We are given options and resources to help him develop in those areas.

These organizations have become family to us as they have walked with us side-by-side and held our hands through the toughest of times.  Through the people we’ve met along this journey, we’ve learned more about hope, change, and healing.  Most importantly, Knightly is happily growing and thriving and eating and laughing and playing — thanks to God and organizations like ICEC and UCP.  We cannot express how much God has shown us His love, His hope, and His joy through the therapists, the families, and the incredible babies.  Where once the world saw impossibilities, these early intervention programs have been a part of making the impossible possible and helping babies grow up to reach their full potential.

ALL the baby games and activities in the party were exactly the kind of playful therapy Knightly has every week.  It is “play” for a purpose.  And, we’re so happy to create a celebration for our family and friends for Knightly’s very first birthday to celebrate his life, the journey, and to raise awareness and funds for these therapy organizations – a party for a purpose.

As a special first birthday gift, we asked all Knightly’s friends and families to donate in lieu of gifts to these two organizations with our own specially designed site here.

Knightly’s therapies costs $125 per baby per session and they make all the difference in the world for families like us.

Theme

Knightly’s birthday party theme circulated around this poignant quote from Walt Disney’s Dumbo:

• “The very things that held you down are going to carry you up and up and up.”
• It says everything we pray and wish for our baby and was the message we wanted to share with friends and family at his party.
• We asked every guest to please “help change the very things that once held children like Knightly down to carry them up and up and up.”

Colors

• Blue
• White
• Grey
• Silver

More Details:

• Most of Knightly’s friends were between the ages of 10-18 months so we wanted to make sure all the details were baby friendly.

Knightly’s Open Snack Bar: included all organic, non GMO, natural, gluten free, no preservatives healthy snacks for babies including organic milk, baby puree smoothies, and fruit and cereal puffs
Custom Artisan Ice Creams: included custom designed ice cream flavors (peanut butter and popcorn) for his birthday theme!
Photo Booth in the Clouds/Instagram: included puffy cloud pillows and a cloud with a sky blue backdrop for kids and parents alike to enjoy.  All guests were asked to instagram tag the photos to #knightlyturnsone
Baby Activities: included a baby pool of various textures and toys as a baby stimulation exercise to let babies enjoy and get exposed to a variety of textures, a parachute to lift up and down above the babies, Elefun for kids to catch butterflies, and yoga balls that are popular physical therapy toys for babies to strengthen their muscles
Doljabi Voting Station: | Knightly celebrated his Korean heritage with a traditional Doljabi.  In the tradition, the baby chooses from an assortment of items placed on a blanket that is to predict his “destiny”.  Knightly got to choose from a Jedi knight, the dark knight (Batman), Samurai, X-men and muppet. He chose X-men, which is perfect because it is a genetic mutation to enhance the human race.  All guests were able to vote on raffle tickets beforehand for a prize.
Donation Wall: | Guests were asked to gift Knightly with a donation to both his therapy groups on a table that contained the story behind his therapies and his journey
Milestone Wall: | We hung a photo for each month of Knightly’s life along with a list of the milestones we celebrated for each month – we LOVE this one <3
Inspirational Quotes: | Throughout the party we decorated inspirational quotes from various Disney movies to help inspire our guests
Cloud Thumbprint Sign In: | We created a thumbprint sign in mimicking Knightly’s birthday party invitation where guests could sign in with their thumbs and write a message behind it.
Favors: | Designed to mimic what the little storks carried in Dumbo when they delivered their babies, we had favors for all the kiddos, including therapy educational baby/kid toys for their growing brains and a pair of baby sunglasses just for style!