Last weekend we celebrated Ivy's homecoming and first birthday with an open house for family, friends and neighbors. Ivy calmly handled being the center of attention and received everyone's love and good wishes with grace and good cheer. She wore her hanbok for part of the day, specifically for our toljabee ceremony. This is a traditional Korean first birthday ceremony in which a number of items are laid out on a table in front of a child and the first objects she chooses represent her future skills and talents. We adapted this ceremony and chose items from our home that represent our own lives. These are the items we presented to Ivy for her toljabee:- Books (Global Babies and Sweater) and a pencil - successful scholarship
- Yarn spun by Ivy's mom - long life
- Money - wealth
- Ivy's great-grandpa's carpenter's ruler and knitting needles made by Ivy's grandpa - skilled with her hands
- Wooden spoon - enjoys cooking and welcoming friends to her table
- Paintbrush - artistic abilities
- Harmonica - musical talents
We placed Ivy on Kevin's lap for the ceremony and then the excitement began. After lightly touching many of the items, the first object she picked up (and put right in her mouth) was a knitting needle:
I was very pleased that she chose this needle that my dad made from lumber from a cedar tree that stood in my front yard for many years until a storm blew it down in the mid-1990s.
And then it was time to choose the 2nd and final item. To paraphrase our friend, Jeff (a wickedly talented photographer and, most importantly, HB's dad), I honestly resisted melding Ivy's mind and did not force her to choose a book for her 2nd item. We faced the table with renewed suspense:
But, what can I say? After lingering over Great-Grandpa Ottmar's ruler, our girl made her librarian-parents proud and grabbed one of her favorite books - Sweater by Kit Allen:
The ceremony was beautiful and touching and we thank Jeff for capturing so many memorable photos of the event. We also thank our other photographers, Eli and Steve for grabbing our personal cameras and documenting the special day. Ivy was surrounded by so much love that it's impossible to describe the entire day in one post, so please continue on to Part 2: 
4 comments:
I still contend that Shawn influenced Ivy's choice of book with the mind-bending powers of a proud new mom! The rest of the event, especially the catered food, were excellent. Jeff
what lovely photos and what a fun tradition! I'm so sorry I had to miss the party--i ran out of time between work and the "Pi[e] Party" I was asked to host at my house that evening (get it? Pi? March 14? 3-14?). Thanks for posting photos and a recap!
Knitting and books? I love love love this girl! What great life choices she's already making too.
Eek--I keep forgetting to read this blog--I'd better get it on Google reader.
This is a really neat way of adapting and making the ceremony more personal. Thanks for sharing!
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