HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, Baby Girl!

Sweet Rachael turned ONE yesterday! Can you believe it?! This year has absolutely flown by. I feel like I have been so consumed by watching her grow a little everyday that her first birthday came up too quickly. She is something else these days. She is getting more confident with her "walking". I'm pretty sure it won't be long until she takes off by herself. But, I'm not rushing her. I melt every time she reaches for my hands to help her walk. And that precious half smile she gives me each time, just before she starts walking. It's like she's saying, "I know you're not going to let go of me, Mama, so let's go!" 

I love the way her maternal instinct has already appeared. If there is a baby doll or stuffed animal nearby she will be holding it, rocking it, or kissing it. She is such a little Mama already. She even likes to take care of her big brother- wiping his nose or washing him in the bathtub.
I love the face she makes when attempting to pout- she sticks both lips out as far as she can. It's too cute.
I love the way she wrinkles her nose when she knows she is being cute.
I love that she is petite.
I love that she always wants to snuggle when she wakes up.
I love the way she wiggles her entire body to say "yes" when asked questions like, "Do you want more to eat?" Or "Would you like to play outside?"
I love the way she grunts and points with her entire hand for things she wants.
I love that she is learning to stand her ground when her brother tries to take a toy or tell her what to do. 

She is still happily breastfeeding 3-4 times a day. The way she pauses for a moment with her paci during her nursing sessions cracks me up every time, she is one of a kind. I cherish each time we sit in the nursery's rocking chair because I know at anytime she could self-wean and my breastfeeding days will be over. 

This weekend we celebrated our special girl's 1st birthday. As you may know, I greatly enjoy going all out for my kids' birthday parties. They take a lot of planning and energy to create, but I love it. David's first birthday was a dog-themed party. And Rachael's was too.  

The main party table

punch bowl, framed picture of Rachael and Bogie, Rachael's smash cake, the big cake, Rachael's special birthday plate


A closer look at the cake

I know it has flaws, but it's all made from scratch and tons of love


One of my favorite decorations were these pink dog bowls with a brown bone. I put one on each end of the appetizer bar and filled them with Cocoa Puffs to look like dog food. [thanks Pinterest!]



First, we played pin the bow on the puppy. Even some of the adults joined in, how fun!

The birthday girl was allowed to peak



David pinned it on the puppy's belly




Then it was time for presents!


Doesn't Rachael look precious in her party otufit- pink tutu, Birthday Girl shirt, "1" party hat hair bow and a bracelet on each wrist?


She was into opening her gifts for a little while



Then she was ready for a change of scenery. It was a good thing she had a big brother to open some of her gifts for her.



She was drawn back to the present opening when she saw this cute baby doll from her GranGran.

See how she's hugging her new baby, so sweet, right?


Rachael recieved SO many special and wonderful gifts.



We took a break and served everyone dinner. Rachael tried her best to pay attention to the goings-on in the room and eat at the same time.



After dinner, it was cake time!!

As we sang "Happy Birthday" to Rachael, David would point to her every time we sang, "you". Rachael would laugh at him, it was so sweet.




Blowing out the candle with a little help from Mama and David.




This picture is so special to me!

[Thanks to Twinkle for encouraging Ryan to take it]


Finally the time Rachael had been waiting for, even though she didn't even know it.

Digging into her cake with her light pink polished nails.



Check out that smile!



Greatly enjoying herself.


She ended up completely covered in pink icing and chocolate cake. It was the perfect ending to a special first birthday.


Here are a few pictures of Rachael with just some of the special people who took time out of their weekend to celebrate HER!

Great-Grandmother and Great-Granddaddy




Twinkle and Bing (with David, too)



Aunt Nicole, Uncle Michael, and Cousin Parker (with David, too)




Ma, Mama, Big Daddy, Uncle Rich, and Cousin Cate (with David, too)




Mama, Daddy, Rachael, and David. I love this picture so much too!



Happy birthday to our beautiful baby girl.
From the moment you came into our lives we have felt complete. We didn't know what you were going to be, so when I held you in my arms for the first time one year ago, I thanked God for such a special gift- the healthy baby girl I had prayed for. We love you more than you will ever know [until you have a child of your own]. You have brought immense joy and happiness into our lives. We are blessed to call you our daughter.