What a hoot!

The celebration is officially over. Ansley is a whole year old!

We celebrated 3 times! Three times I sang happy birthday, and three times Ansley looked at us like we were stupid.

The first celebration came a few days before her birthday. As we celebrated with close family friends, Ansley enjoyed her very first Twinkee (and, if Daddy has anything to say about it, that will also be her last!)

On September 21, we worked our way into her room at 7:20 in the morning, and woke her up singing "Happy Birthday." I discovered that Ansley is just like her momma in one way: if she's sleeping, don't wake her up unless you are ready to deal with the ensuing wrath.

Not the best picture, but she's obviously not very happy. But, I came offering gifts of chocolate chip muffins, so that should have made the early wake up worth it. I guess the mind of the 1-year-old couldn't quite grasp that.

But, we celebrated. We celebrated that evening with a trip to Nana and Poppa's. Not too exciting, because the real celebration was to come.

We have not had rain in nearly a month. But as we got closer to the day of the party, the chances of rain increased. And increased. And continued to increase. We had a special fundraiser that morning for work, and we were rained on periodically. I debated changing the date.

And the sky was dark. And her party was planned for 3:30 in the afternoon, right smack dab in the middle of the rain cloud. But, I stood strong. We were having her party OUTSIDE, and it was going to be perfect.

I had debated for several weeks on what the theme should be. Princess, out. FOREVER. Hopefully, Ansley will appreciate the fact that she's not a princess, and that doesn't mean we love her any less. She can enjoy princess movies, but the moment she is seen in a shirt that says "I'm a princess," call the authorities and report a kidnapping.

I also knew I didn't want to simply do a theme of the number "1." Though she's not a princess, Ansley deserves more than just that. After much deliberation, and fighting the urge to go against the grain with something completely obscure, I decided to go with owls. Because it was so.stinkin'.cute.

I mean, look at that! Absolutely adorable. And, those big blue eyes reminded me of Ansley's, so I had to go with it.

So, I had the decorations, including a pinata. (Yes, I bought a pinata for a 1-year-old's birthday party. And I filled it with candy. And little party favors that my mom yelled at me for giving to Ansley.) I couldn't just make other plans. It wouldn't work. No one had RSVPed, so, if I moved it, I had no idea who to contact to let them know. So, we finished up our cake, packed up the car, and headed to our destination. And, by cake, I mean totally awesome, homemade and decorated piece of brilliance.

I know it isn't professional quality or anything, but it was so outside of my comfort zone to even attempt this. Normally, I solve problems by throwing money at them, not by picking up a tube of frosting (though, honestly, that could make for some very interesting debates.).

We kinda took the "K.I.S.S." method when it came to her party. I knew I wanted it to be something special, because, honestly, I feel as though I've dropped the ball a lot as a first time mother. But, I knew anything too extravagant was just a waste of resources, since she wouldn't enjoy being outside at one park anymore than outside at another. But, I have dropped the ball a few times. I don't have her feet prints in her baby book. I don't remember exactly what day she started crawling, or even when she started standing on her own. I don't know the date of the first time she said "momma." Though she wouldn't remember, I wanted something fun for my memory bank.

So, we kept it simple, but made some great memories. We had family and friends there to help celebrate, and I'm pretty sure Ansley got more gifts than she really knew what to do with.

And, there was cake. Rather, cupcakes. And, Ansley devoured it.

Yes, Ansley had a matching bib, thanks to my bestie and one of Ansley's "Aunts." She also had a matching shirt that I managed to save until her birthday, and now she can wear it whenever! Hoot!

All in all, it was a very special day, despite the fact that some very important people were unable to share in the celebration. And, at the end of the day, when Ansley was tired and finally curled up in bed, I was able to sigh a big sigh of relief. The rain held off, people showed up, and my little girl enjoyed her first birthday party.

Little Lady.

My beautiful little Ansley,
I don't know how we've gotten this far. But, we have. And we'll keep moving forward.
This is where I'm supposed to write all that sappy stuff about you no longer being an infant and becoming your own little person. About how you've said goodbye to your bottle, developed your own personality, and have even taken a few steps. But despite your increasing independence, I know you are still my baby girl.
You don't stop moving very long. You aren't very cuddly. But tonight, right in the middle of play time, you crawled over to me and snuggled. It was just a few seconds before that need to explore kicked back in, but it was just long enough for me to catch that now familiar scent of Johnson's Baby Shampoo, mixed with the sweet smell of clean pjs. My heart leapt, and I remembered that day a year ago.
I remember that first cry, especially because it didn't come right away. I remember that first kiss, though, I'll honestly admit, you hadn't been cleaned off yet and it grossed me out to kiss you still covered in mommy's baby juice. But, I did it. Because you were my baby.
The next few hours left mommy so weak and disoriented that she couldn't get down to the nursery right away. But daddy had pictures.
And then we brought you home. And you grew. And you are still growing. Each day reveals a little more of who you are, and what you are becoming. You are happy. Despite the fear and anxiety that often surround you, you laugh. You smile. And, most of the time, it's at the UPS men.
You love your puppies. You share your kisses with them almost more willingly than you do with us. But that's ok, little girl. Because Mommy knows that at the end of the day, when the house is getting dark and sleep is closing in, we retreat to your room and cozy up in the big chair, without the puppies, and I get all the kisses.
We rock. I don't mean that we are cool, though that's true, but I mean in your chair. Sometimes we'll rock a little longer than other times. And you'll cuddle in, for just a moment. And, in that moment, I know that no matter how old you are, and how big you get, you'll always be my little girl.
I love you little girl. Happy Birthday to you!

Love,
Mommy

I'm not ready for this.

I just put my little baby girl to bed for the night. A little early because she skipped her afternoon nap.

When I get up in the morning, I'll have a 1-year-old.

And I can say that, because she was born at 6:20 a.m.

Goodnight baby girl, and good morning little lady.