1St B-day Gift from Mommy/daddy

How about a nice sterling silver or gold charm bracelet that you can add to for each major life event?

You could do a jewelry box and a necklace. I did a pretty necklace for my daughter's first xmas and I thought that she could always wear it on xmas then. YOu could even do a locket and have it engraved.
Growth charts are nice too. She got one for her 1st birthday and that's something that you'll always have and can remind her who go it for her.
Enjoy the party. IT's so fun.

We bought our daughter a small tree and planted it on her birthday....our other idea was to get a custom t-pee made for her to crawl around it (we found someone on ebay who does that)...good luck.

When my kids turned 1 we obviously got them toys (The bounce and spin zebra is GREAT for a 1 year old) but we also sterted them a little collection. The Precious Moments birthday train is what we started my first son with! He can't play with it and really doesn't appreciate it, but I hope he will when he get's older!

You could see about getting a personalized blanket made for her (or if you sew, make one yourself). any quilting store, JoAnn Fabrics, or Hancock Fabrics could probably give you some references of quilters, knitters or crocheters who would make a blanket for you. My mother-in-law is a quilter and has made a quilt for each of her grandkids with their name in about 3" letters across it. My son is 3, and sleeps with his every night. My daughter's has gone missing . . . :) Anyway, she just did a simple pattern with a fabric the kids would like (my son's is a baseball bear fabric, and my daughter's has a black background with colorful ladybugs on it). My grandma made me a quilt when I was little, and I just found it a few months ago at my mom's. I now let my daughter sleep with it. Since my grandma passed away several years ago, it is a great connection for me to give to my daughter. Also, knowing the effort put into it makes it extra special.

I say a life insurance policy for her. This is something that you would pay for each year until it pays for itself and then when she gets married you give it to her. It may sound weird I know but in the end it could be a great gift

Among other things, I started a collection of news papers from the day Eli was born and birthdays. You can go with one or a selection different ones. This way you always have what was going on in the world to look back on.
Another cool momento:
http://www.celebrateexpress.com/celebration/Refine.aspx?p...

You give them the name and date of your child and it comes up with all kinds of facts for when they were born. Prices of things like gas, popular TV, movies, music, etc...
There are tons of different designs to match a nursery or whatever you want for a theme.

Good Luck:)

My mom bought a silver charm bracelet when i was pregnant with my daughter and bought a charm when she was born and one for every birthday. It sat in her drawer for awhile, but i would get it out and show her and talk to her about it. She is 4 now and has started wearing the bracelet every now and then. But even if she never wears it she can look at it, and know that it was a special present to remember special times in her life.

Hi L.,
Have you thought about planting a tree? You can do it in your own backyard or call your local park district. My mom actually planted a house tree in a pot for me when I turned one (now 31) and it has flourished over the years. It is big and beautiful and we still have it in the house. When I was younger I would help water it every day. I loved having the important job of helping my plant grow! It represented my growth over the years and still means so much to me!
Happy 1st Birthday to your little one!

Get her a savings bond. She won't remember any gifts you give her now, but a savings bond will really make a difference when she's 18, especailly if you do one every year.

How excited you must be! One thing I thought of right away is an "Add a pearl" necklace. I think most small, fine jewelry stores would do them. I purchased one for my niece and each year I have a pearl added. When you buy it, it is one pearl on a necklace, and over time when you add each pearl it turns into a really pretty necklace. My niece has 7 now and it is really starting to look cool. By the time she is an adult she will have a string of pearls!

Good luck!
J.

There are so many wonderful and sentimental ideas out there, you just need to find the one that fits you.

I started a collection from my daughter. The Birthday Angels. (I don't remember which company makes them) You can get all kinds, ones that have her birthstone, or ones that have her birth flower, or just a simple angel. Each one has a number representing the year...my Daugher is 4 now and I chose the Birthstone angels.

I love bbs.lol I remember when mine were that small. Plus, i remember asking the same question years ago and since found out something. They will not remember a thing! Get what YOU want to give...if you want to make a tradition or something, now is a good time to start. She will not know what it is you are giving her, or how it impacts your or her life. Get some toys for her, something that she can touch, see and learn. The best present I found is that an educational toy (be it a rattle, a kiddy mirror, or just a stuffed animal) will give immediate gratification to a child. But for gratification for the parent, something that will last.

A pretty jewelry box. Bead shops can also custom make a pretty bracelet for your little one, w/an xtra chain on the end so she can grow into it.

We bought my daughter a beautiful plush pink rocking horse that you could use it as a rocker or put down the wheels so she can push it when she gets older. She is 6 now and will not let us give it away. She has always loved it and talks about when she got it as a baby. We probably got it at Toys R Us.