Not that it should be surprising that we all look alike...

Just a fun comparison of family photos. That's my dad in the grainy picture below and me at my first birthday below that.

Birthday girl

Wow, a whole year has gone by! It's pretty amazing to think that this time last year we were just hanging out in the hospital room with Melanie, watching Saturday Night Live skits on the computer and waiting for "The Show" to start. Once the contractions started and we all got serious about the impending birth, it was exciting. I wasn't really sure how Chris would react to the birthing experience, I thought maybe I would freak out and yell at him, but I didn't. He was beyond amazing and stayed focused on the task at hand. I was also so happy to have Mel there as well to interpret the medical blah blah blahs and be my cheerleader.

From the moment she was born--no, from the moment I saw her on the sonogram monitor at seven weeks--Olivia had an incredible life force. She wants to live and live large! So, thanks for the lesson, little girl. Happy birthday.