A Year in Photos

The full set of proofs from Maddie's one-year photo session are now online on the Solar's website, so feel free to check them out. As part of our package, we're choosing photos from the entire year and having them bound into a book, so the photos from all five session are actually available on the website, too. If you have the time, it's sort of fun to go through them and see how much she's changed. (Okay, it may just be fun for Jon and I. I don't know.) Anyway, the password is just my email address: alainawebster@gmail.com. Enjoy!

Party Like a Rockstar: A Photo Essay

What's all this? A party? Just for me?*


Oh, you guys! You really shouldn't have. I'm so happy I could squat!


And look at everyone who's here. It's my lovely and talented aunts!


Mommy, what is that? Why is there fire on it? Why is everyone singing? Why am I half-naked? Never mind, I don't care if I'm naked. Can I touch that?


Hmmm, I find this green and brown circle intriguing. It smells delightful...


Birthday cake rocks!


Step away from my cake. I am NOT sharing.


Everyone else seems to be enjoying their cake, too.


And then, like most good parties, there was an awkward and inappropriate make-out session in front of everyone. The whole school is going to be talking about this on Monday...


Then there were wagon rides!


I'm not sure what it says about our daughter, kissing one man at the party, and then catching a ride with someone completely different.


Oh, tissue paper! How rapturous!


I love football (and my new Reesing jersey from my uncle)!


#5, small but mighty


Oh, my head feels so much better without my pig-tails. I'm not sure why everyone's laughing, but I'm just going to go along with it. It can't be at me. I look fabulous!


Fabulous, indeed.

*(All photos by Larry Stoppel and Marc Webster.)

Jon and I would just like to take a moment to thank everyone who came to her party and most of all, our parents for all their help in getting ready, setting up, getting food, and cleaning. Maddie had a great time, and so did we. You guys are also rockstars! Thanks a million!

One-Year Photo Session

Yay! We have pictures from Maddie's one-year photo session with Josh Solar Photography! Yay! As usual, here are a few of our favorites, but you can find more on their blog. We'll also let you know when the full session is up on their website and post a link and password. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Monkey Face!

To my darlingest, dearest, most wonderful Maddie:

Today, in approximately four hours, give or take a few minutes and seconds, you will be one year old. Of course, you and I have been together for much longer than that. We got to rock out for a whole 40 weeks before anyone else knew you, and while I complained about being pregnant from the moment we saw those double pink lines, I'm so grateful that I got to have you all to myself for that short(ish) amount of time.

As your birthday has gotten closer, I find myself thinking about the day you were born, the most exciting and most terrifying day of our lives for your daddy and me. You see, you almost didn't make it. By the time you read this, I'm sure you'll have heard the story from several people, so I won't make you read it again, but those five minutes between seeing you for the first time and hearing you cry for the first time were the worst five minutes of my life. We had only just met you, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you without even knowing you... And then you cried. And then everything was fine. And then the three of us were alone. And then your daddy and I cried.

You were so tiny and so perfect, with your huge eyes and insane black hair. Even now, I can't imagine loving anyone or anything the way I love you. I feel like I didn't know what love was until you were born, and sometimes it's almost frightening. The feeling is so primal and animal and unlike anything else that it almost feels like too much, like I love you so much it shouldn't be possible, as if you should be crushed and suffocated by the weight of my love.

It's not just emotional either. I can't get enough of you physically. I need to touch you, to kiss your little face, to hold your chunky, baby body and brush your crazy, baby hair. I even take a guilty pleasure in the times you get sick because it means you'll let me snuggle you, let me nap with you, let me just hold you without doing anything else. (Don't get me wrong. It also tears me up when you're sick, and I can't make you feel better. What good is a mommy who can't make it better?)

Now you're walking and talking, and it feels like each step you take is one step farther away from being my baby and one step closer to being my little girl. I know that as you get older, we'll fight, and you'll feel like I don't understand you, that I don't care about you, that I don't love you. So, I want to say now, and always, there is never anything you can do that will make me love you less. It's absolutely impossible for you to lose my love. It is unconditional, forever.

As you get to know me, there will probably be times you'll be surprised that I wrote this. I'm not always very good at expressing myself verbally, which is why I'm writing this now, and I hope to write you a letter every August 19th. Even now, I feel like an incredible cheese-ball as I sit here, trying to show you how I feel, trying not to cry, all happy and sad and unbelievably proud at the same time. You are by far the best "Oops!" your daddy and I ever made, and we can't imagine ours lives without you.

So Happy Birthday Madeline Olivia, my Money-Face, my Madster, my Maddie! Daddy and I love you so much!

Mommy

Whose "Genes" Are You Wearing?

As Maddie reaches the one-year mark, we thought it might be fun to compare pictures of the one-year-old Madster to pictures of her mother and father at about the same age:

First up, we have Jon, who seems to have developed an affinity for overalls and turtlenecks. Also, if you look closely, I believe you will see a certain blue blankie in the background of the last shot...

Next, we have me and my blue ruffles, courtesy of the early '80s. By the way, feel free to make fun of my dad's awesome 'fro. We always do. (Love you, Dad!)

Finally, we have the lovely and talented Madeline Olivia who can always be counted on to bring a certain amount of "goof" to any occasion (unless the occasion is an outdoor photo session, that is.)

So, what do you think? Seeing what we had to work with, we think she turned out pretty well. Any thoughts on who she most resembles right now?