Dear Chloe,

Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl!  Today you are one year old!  I can hardly believe that one short year ago you were in my tummy.  It's true what they say, time really does fly when you have a baby.

Well,  you are hardly a baby anymore....  You are walking!  All over the place!  By yourself.  I know, I can't believe it, either.  :)  You are doing so well with it.  You always surprise me with how quickly you catch on to things.  Within a week of taking your first uncertain steps, you were off on your own and now - you are constantly pulling yourself up and taking off!  It's incredible.

You are babbling quite a bit and daddy is convinced you're trying to talk to us.  It sounds like you say hi all the time, but I'm not sure.  You've been saying momma and dada for awhile, but I still don't know if you understand the meaning attached.  I know it won't be long and we'll be carrying on deep conversations!  I can't wait for that!

You absolutely love to dance!  We listen to music a lot and wether it's the radio or one of your musical toys, you dance any time you hear anything resembling music.  It's adorable and I love it!

We had a really fun party for your birthday on Sunday.  All the grandmas and grandpas came!  Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Amidon couldn't make it, but we'll go see them this week.  You wore a beautiful party dress and instead of shoes, I let you go barefoot and I painted your little toe nails.  You were so darling!

You weren't terribly interested in opening gifts, but you sure loved the cake.  You literally did a nose dive into it and didn't come up for air for about 3 minutes!  It was hilarious.  You didn't know what to think.  

You received a lot of very nice things.  A wagon, a baby doll and stroller, a Big Wheel, an Elmo blanket, lots of clothes, an art set, a xylophone (which I love playing with, by the way....), a really fun tea set that we all love playing with, a big girl book called The Secret Garden, that I can't wait to read together, some very special coins from the year you were born, a special doll made just for you with love from Daddy and I, and lots of other things.  You are a very blessed baby, Chloe.  For all the people that love you so much and celebrate you with wonderful gifts!

Your personality is really starting to come through, Chloe.  I just know that you are going to be an amazing young lady.  I know God has an incredible plan for you, Chloe.  We love you so much and feel so incredibly blessed to call you our daughter.  We thank God for you and look forward to all of the amazing things to come.

All my love, 

Mommy