Dear Ally,
Happy Birthday my sweet little girl, it’s been an amazing year! I am so blessed to be your mama and as I look back at this past year I can’t believe you are already 1, where did the time go? It feels like we just brought you home from the hospital yesterday and that I was pregnant just a few weeks ago.

Let’s be honest now, you are totally a mama’s girl and I can’t complain. I think the bond that we have created through nursing and the first 6 months of your life with me being home with you was definitely what shaped and molded our relationship. The sleepless nights were all worth all the extra cuddles I got with you day in and day out. Thank goodness I made the investment with the rocker because we spent many nights and days hanging out in that chair. And as I look back on the past year I’m remembering our summer nights where Bode would run around the backyard, the many evenings Daddy would come home with takeout or make dinner for us all because I couldn’t spare any extra time to cook, the long naps you would only take in my bed during the daytime, all the baby wearing I would do because you were so little and easy to just carry, bath times with your brother and watching the two of you bond, Bode sharing his toys with you, dressing you up in pretty girly clothes and accessories for impromptu photo shoots, dressing you up as a mouse for Halloween, Disneyland for your brothers 3rd birthday, the ear infections and antibiotics, first foods, crawling, standing up on everything…

I just love the way you look at your daddy and your brother. You can see the admiration in your eyes and it just melts my heart. You would follow Bode anywhere you could crawl after him, although I wish you were walking sometimes, you get around pretty fast crawling. People often ask me how Bode is with you, if he is helpful or not and honestly he is just a little boy. He would rather play with his toys than help his mama with his baby sister, however when it comes to watching you, we have named Bode the ‘Ally Police’. He wants to make sure you are okay at all times and that you aren’t getting into trouble. And if you do seem to get into trouble he’s quick to ask if you will go on time-out for doing so. Of course we don’t put you on time-out but we do try and teach you right from wrong. I think you are lucky to have a brother who looks after you, and hopefully will play nicely with you when you get a little bit older. And I can see it in your body language that when Daddy holds you, you feel safe and that you know he is your protector. Please know that because you are the baby in this family you will have 3 people in your life that will always be protecting you (your Daddy, big brother Bode, and of course me). You still aren’t so sure about Boss our pug but that’s okay because I’m sure eventually you will be cuddling with him too. And the most amazing thing to me is that since you had tubes put in your ears around 11 months we have all witnessed your personality come through including your independence and appetite! You went from the 8th percentile for height at 9 months, to the 75th percentile in height at 12 months. Maybe you will be a tall girl after all, I guess only time will tell. Although I was sad to say good-bye to our first home as a family, I’m excited about the new adventures we will have in our new home. I can just imagine in the next few years you and your brother chasing each other in the backyard and in another 10 years from now fighting over the bathroom you share. I can’t imagine this life without you, thank you for being you!

Xoxo

Mommy

Below are some pictures from Ally’s First Birthday, I will follow up with a 12-month blog…