"It hasn't sunk in," her mother Julie said. She's asked us just to use first names because of privacy issues.

Amelie took a nibble of some frosting. She had a big smile. She then decided to go for it.

"Just little bites, Amelie. You don't have to eat it all," her mom cautioned.

Amelie took a big bite. It's good.

Julie now has a smile on her face.

Dr. Steve Rothenberg is the guy who deserves much of the credit for this first.

"[Amelie] was born with a blockage of her esophagus," Rothenberg said. He is the chief of pediatric surgery at the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's.

The blockage kept the little girl from keeping anything down. She couldn't even drink water.

Recently, her family took her from Tucson, Arizona to Denver so Rothenberg could surgically open her esophagus.

"Up until this point, she's basically been fed with a tube that goes through her stomach," Rothenberg said.

He used a minimally invasive technique which ensured a very quick recovery.

Based on the partially-eaten birthday cake in front of Amelie, the surgery was a complete success.

The idea was born out of the goodwill of the staff at P/SL.

"Yes, there aren't many children who get to eat their first birthday cake when they're 6 years old," Rothenberg said.

What's next for Amelie?

"Macaroni and cheese," she said in an instant.