12 Months

My precious girl.  What a gift God gave when He entrusted you to us!!  You are an absolute delight.  A joy to our hearts.  A healing gift of a "normal", healthy baby.  God knew exactly what He was doing when he blessed us with you.  Adored by your siblings.  Apple of our eye!  We have cherished every moment of this first year of your life.  

Hard to believe we brought our teeny-tiny preemie baby girl home from the hospital a year ago.  You were so scrawny, your socks wouldn't even stay on!

Just look at you now.  My how you've grow!  Try as I might, I can't stop it!!

You were cheered on as you moved from that "kickstand crawl" to first steps this month.  And now there is no stopping you!  Your little wobbly walk is growing more steady every day!

You love to play "sooo big" and raise your dimpled arms above your head and beam!  

You join your crazy sisters in their dance parties and just eat it up when you get applause and laughter from the gang.  Makes you shake it even more.  SO funny! 

Somebody taught you to head-butt. (ouch!)  You just randomly konk noggins with whoever is holding you to get attention.  We are left rubbing an aching goose-egg and you respond with a giggle.  Humph!  Hard-headed?!!

Your vocabulary is growing.  You say "Kiki" (the cats name), "Dog", "uh-oh" and...."thank you".  Its so funny.  Whenever Im swabbing your mouth for a foreign object or taking something from your hand that doesn't belong there, I always say "Thank you".  Now you've picked up on the cue and always say "ta-too" whenever Im taking something from you!  

Ive been planning (and pinning) a first birthday party for Gigi for months, but when the opportunity arose, I abandoned my lofty plans and happily settled for a sweet simple celebration for her birthday at the loveliest place on the planet...the beach!  Aunt Josie and Grandmoni joined us for a week of play in sand and surf.  Im happy to report that Gigi is officially a Smith!!  She LOVED the beach.  She made a beeline for the ocean when we put you down and weren't at all phased by waves crashing around her.  Little mermaid!

We found the perfect venue at Myrtle Beach to celebrate our little Parisian Princess! 

After a full day of sun and sand, we got all dolled up for some sweet treats at a beautiful establishment that was such a memorable experience!  

The Brentwood Restaurant is a hundred year old Victorian home converted into a exceptional French Restaurant that we stumbled upon and fell in love with.  Trained at a prestigious culinary school in Paris, the Chef Eric Massons artistic talent is as pleasing 

 to the eye as the palette!  He helped celebrate our girl in style by bringing out delectable desserts one-after-another and each better then the last!

 Crem Brûlée!  Key Lime Pie! Strawberries Romanoff!  And...AND....he shared his recipe for our favorite dessert.  Fondant au Chocolat which he served garnished with raspberry sauce!  Be still my heart!!  I think you chocoholics out there are going to love it.  The Brentwood gets our 5 star rating!  What a special memory and delectable way to celebrate our girl! 

(recipe below)

Somehow, at the ripe ole' age of 1, she knew the birthday was all about her!

We love you baby girl!!

Fondant au Chocolat

For 9 inch cake pan serving 8 people

1 lb. salted butter

1.5 lb semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. cacao

3 tbsp. flour

5 eggs

Melt chocolate chips and butter over a double boiler.  Incorporate cacao and flour.  Mix in eggs one by one.  Mix vigorously until it thickens up.  You can use an electric mixer or a good whisk.  Pour the mixture in a non-adhesive 9 inch cake pan with high sides.  Bake for 15 minutes in hot oven at 375 F  Let cool down for about 2 hrs in the fridge.  Serve warm with creme Anglaise or Raspberry sauce and a flute of champagne.  Bon Appetit!

Recipe from Chef Eric Masson 

Chef/Owner of The Brentwood Restaurant and Wine Bistro

www.TheBretwoodRestaurant.com