The First Birthday!!!

My little girl turned one yesterday and I can hardly believe how fast time has flown. Everyone warned me that the time would fly by but you really can't understand that until one day your sitting in a hospital bed with your child in your arms, you blink and then you are standing there holding a birthday cake with a single candle lit singing happy birthday to that child for the very first time. It's bittersweet... I am excited for the fun times that lie ahead with my little one (who isn't so little anymore) but I am sad for the loss of her babyhood. She's a toddler now... and my heart is so much more bigger because of her. I never thought it was possible to love her more now than the day that I met her, but it is. She's everything to me and I want her to always know that. I remember so clearly every thing that happened the day she floated into my life. I remember the first time I held her and how well she seemed to fit. I remember being in the hospital and being so overwhelmed and happy at the thought of being someone's mother. Especially hers because I truly believe in my heart of hearts that she chose me. and that just astounds me. I remember not being able to sleep that first night because every little sound she made scared me, so I just watched her... and then in the next few nights when I actually wanted to sleep, she wouldn't let me because I guess every little sound I made scared her. :) I remember wanting to go home from the hospital so bad so I could take her home and dress her...like she was my dolly. Now... she loves clothes. How funny... I just loved watching her grow and try new things and I am so excited about how many more fun things are in store. Throughout her babyhood I would constantly think to myself when I would feel my self gettting frustrated that I needed to savor these moments because they would be just a memory soon...and now that time is here. It's all just a memory, but it's the best memory I've ever had...

My friend and sorority sister, Katie, wrote a blog a while back about the top 10 reasons she loves her son Cole. I'd like to continue the chain with my own top 10....
#1 - The smile I get every morning when I enter her room. She is always so happy to see me, and it completly makes my day... everyday.
#2 - The way she says Mama only when she's fussy. That lets me know I am the one she wants in her most distressing times. It's me, above all others, her mother.
#3 - The way she loves her daddy. She adores him, and he adores her tenfold. They are so sweet together. I love walking into our bedroom and find them both on their tummies reading books which is Allie's most favorite past time.
#4 - The way she hugs. She likes to pat my back when she gives hugs, I don't know why...
#5 - Her kisses. I kiss her like a bajillion times a day ever since her birth. She started learning to give kisses at about 3 - 4 months old. They have always been open mouth kisses but that's how she does it and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
#6 - The way she claps when she likes something. She claps at her favorite parts in a book or when you give her something yummy or when you set her down in a place she wants to be.
#7 - The way she sleeps through the night. Almost everynight. She might wake up now and then, but I don't mind rocking her. she's so affectionate and cuddly.
#8 - On weekend mornings, we like to get her up and put her in bed with us, right in between us and we all cuddle. That's the best!
#9 - The way she reacts to animals, it's the cutest thing!
# 10 - How friendly she is! She waves at everyone, everywhere! and of course, even the grumpiest old man will get a kick out of it. Who could resist those big blue eyes and mounds of curls on a little girl who smiles and waves??? It's like she can sense when someone needs a smile because she can get it out of ANYONE.
Whoa! That was so easy! I could go on forever! Now in honor of her birthday...I want to take you on a journey of her special day...



Jason and I made her a special birthday breakfast. I made scrambled eggs (her 1st taste) and he made 'panpakes' (pancakes, that's not a typo). Look at her trying to use her fork like a big girl!

Yummy! She loved her panpakes...not so much the eggs...

We had a little party for her and at present time, she wanted nothing to do with unwrapping or the toys. She just walked around with her new clothes! and each time she saw a new outfit being pulled out of a bag, she'd drop the outfit she had been holding the longest and take the new one. and so it went like that for the rest of present time...

She got a pop up book from her daddy. That was her favorite present by far. She loves for her daddy to read her books and we end up having to hide them because she will cry forever when he stops reading.

She did not like us singing to her and we all sang very softly. I ended up having to blow out her candles...and I made the most perfect wish for her. :)

As soon as I put that cake in front of her, she immediatly stuck her hand in and ate it. She loved it. There's a video of the mess at the end of this blog. She just relished in the attention of everyone looking at her and frosting!

This is how it ended...after about 5 minutes of messy cake she started coughing and gagging. She almost threw it all up! We then rushed her to the bathroom where we stuck her in the tub to wash the frosting off. It stained her face and hands pink! We also had to put her party dress straight in the washer to prevent that from staining...and it came out perfect!

Here is what her cake looked like! Yum! We had a butterfly themed party with colors of pink, purple and white.

Sitting in her learning chair she got from Jason's mom. This is after everyone had left... Allie and I had a post birthday photo shoot! :)

Mommy and her birthday girl!

Allie is obsessed with my eyelashes. She touches mine and then her own, in fact she now falls asleep playing with either hers or my eyelashes!

Giving Mama kisses!!

Adoring all her fan mail! hehe...