Happy First Birthday Alessandra Mae!!!!

At 12:49pm one year ago today, the love of our life, pride and joy, Super Duper Ali Trooper was born. It has literally been the best year of my life. I can no longer imagine life without her and nor would I want to. Guess there's only one thing to do, and that's to celebrate! We squeezed as many people as we could into our tiny yard and our tiny house yesterday:

And we had a frilly princess as the guest of honor:

And a fancy messy princess after that:

And you KNOW it's a good party when Toto Bear makes an appearance!:

Okay, people: I know I said this after my bridal shower. And I know that I said this following my baby shower(s) too...We truly are one of the luckiest families on this planet to have so many good friends and family!!! Not only did we have a huge turnout, Alessandra also received so many amazing, gorgeous, generous gifts! It literally looked like Christmas at this house, only very, very, pink!!! As usual, our peeps came out of the woodwork to offer their helping hands with extra tables and chairs, taking photos and filming, writing the gift list, bringing food and drink, and so much more!!! To everyone...Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

Also, a happy, happy birthday to Ali's birthday buddy and great uncle, Uncle Spencer!!! Hope you had a great rest of the day Uncle Spence!! Love and miss you! Wish we could have celebrated together.

And now to celebrate a year in the life of Princess Ali Pants:

Sunday, September 7, 2008, 12:49pm, 7 lbs, 6 ozs, 21.5"

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

ONE YEAR!!!!!

To our baby Alessandra: Happy first birthday, Lovebug! Our hearts swell with love the moment you wake up for the day, initiate a game of "Peekaboo", fake a sneeze in imitation of one of us, or press the same button on an electrical toy over and over and over (and over) again. Our hearts melt down to nothing when you utter the words "Dada", or "Mama" or lay your head on our shoulder when you mean to give a good hug. (And you are an excellent hugger.) But most of all, our hearts will always be there to kiss away your tears, let you know how wonderful you are every single day, and flutter with pure, pure appreciation for you for the rest of our lives. We never thought we could love someone or something as much as we love you and it keeps growing every day. Thank you for blessing us with your life and personality and adorable squeals. We can't wait to spend another year (and many, many beyond that) with you!

Love you, Mommy and Daddy