Back to us | Alexia Putellas

One.

Birthdays had always been a big deal when I was growing up, my parents would come into my room with a cupcake and wake me up by singing Happy Birthday and I would get to have that cake for breakfast, then we'd go downstairs and my presents would be set up in the living room surrounded by balloons. It felt magical and I look back and remember them so fondly now, it wasn't necessarily the gifts, but the attention and love that they gave me and how special it made me feel.

The cupcake tradition had been something that Ale had continued when we first started dating, I had mentioned it once in a conversation on the bus on our way to a game, some of the girls were talking about how they didn't like celebrating their birthdays and I had told them how much I had always loved them growing up and the tradition came up.

We had only been dating for a couple of months when my birthday came around, she had taken me out for dinner the night before to celebrate as we had a match on my actual birthday and we spent the night at her place. I was woken up by Ale singing Happy Birthday as she sat on the side of the bed, stroking her fingers through my hair with one hand as the other one held a yellow cupcake with sprinkles and a candle placed on the top of it.

"What's this?" I asked sleepily once she had finished singing, sitting up slightly to look at her.

"You mentioned it on the bus the other day, I thought that maybe I should carry on the birthday tradition"

"This is the first time anyone other than my parents has done this" I smiled, staring into her hazel eyes.

Ale started to panic, thinking that she had done something wrong, her face turning into embarrassment as she shifted away from me slightly.
"I'm sorry, I thought that you'd like it, but I didn't think..."

I immediately sat up and pulled her into a kiss by the back of her neck, mumbling my approval into her lips.
"I love it... I- I love you"

That was the first time that I had ever told Ale that I loved her, I'd known that I had for weeks before that, but saying out loud felt like such a big step. Before I even realised what I had said she was saying it back.

"I love you too, Happy Birthday Carino. I can't wait to spend so many more with you"

We shared another kiss, a longer one this time before she pulled away slightly and looked down at the cake in her hands.

"Can you blow this candle out now, because it's burning my finger" She laughed, lifting it up towards me.

I introduced the tradition to her birthdays too, waking her up exactly the same way every year that we had spent together and here we are today, waiting outside our son's door with a cupcake on his very first birthday.

The first year carrying on the tradition with our child like my parents had done for me...

Ale slowly opened the door and we crept inside, but he was already awake, smiling up at us like he did every morning when we came to get him from his cot. His eyes brightened when he saw the green dinosaur cupcake in my hand and the candle glowing on top of it.

"Happy birthday to youuu, Happy birthday to youuu, Happy birthday to Jordi... Happy birthday to youuu" Ale and I sang in unison as she leant into the crib and lifted him into her arms turning him towards the cupcake.

He had no idea what to do with the candle and was more interested in the cake anyway, so Ale and I blew it out together, our eyes welling up as we looked at our one-year-old who seemed so much bigger than he did when we put him to bed last night.

We took him downstairs and set him up in his highchair, placing the cake in front of him and letting him go straight in for it, which he did. He picked it up with both hands and brought it straight up to his mouth, his face was covered in bright green icing when he eventually moved it away, a huge grin on his face as he giggled at us.