Happy birthday, baby girl!

Oh precious little baby girl, how can it possibly be one year since we saw you for the first time? Your movements-- those exciting rolls along my growing belly-- were no longer confined to the walls of my womb. And the moment we saw your sweet, soft face, we knew you were going to be a pretty girl- our pretty Gail. I remember when tears sprang to my eyes when the ultrasound technician first told us, "You're having a little girl"-- maybe that just added to the reality of it- of you. In the womb, we called you, "Ellie." Maybe you heard us? But you showed us pretty quick that you were an Abigail, on Abbie, a Gail. An Abbiegail. Though the names we call you may change sometimes, our love for you does not. We love you more and more every day, even when we find a new side of you that is more strong-willed than contented. And if you continue to smile as much as you have in this past year, we'll know that we're doing our job.
We love you, pretty girl! Happy birthday!