Kaley Cuoco marked her daughter’s 1st birthday with a heartfelt montage on social media.
The video, which was set to the song “Growin’ Up Raising You” by Gabby Barrett, included several photos and videos of Matilda and documented the actor’s first year as a mom.
The March 30 Instagram post began with photos from when Matilda was born and went on to showcase all the sweet and silly moments from the year, including cuddles, mealtimes, holidays and plenty of smiles.
“Matilda you are 1! Best year of our lives,” Cuoco wrote in the caption. “You are a gift from above and have brought the deepest perfect joy to our entire family! Dada and I love you more than we could possibly ever explain.”
Expressing a sentiment relatable to many parents, Cuoco added, “I cannot wait to see who you become, but for now, please stay my precious 1 year old forever.”
Cuoco welcomed her daughter on March 30, 2023, with her boyfriend, actor Tom Pelphrey.
Here's everything to know about Matilda.
About Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey's child Matilda
Cuoco and Pelphrey's child Matilda was born on March 30, and Cuoco first shared the news in an Instagram post.
The post included multiple pictures of the three and included the caption, "We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle 💓 Thank you to the doctors, nurses, family and friends who have helped us immensely over the last few days. We are blessed beyond belief."
The couple first sparked dating rumors in May 2023 after Cuoco shared photos of the two on a vacation on her Instagram. Later that month she confirmed the rumors in an interview with USA Today and said they were set up by their mutual manager, Andrea Pett-Joseph.
"I heard his voice, and I turned around, and it was like my life was over, or just starting," she recalled. "It hit me. It was love at first sight. We were immediately connected."
In October 2022, Cuoco announced they were expecting their first baby together with pictures of the two holding up cake with pink frosting inside.
“Baby girl Pelphrey coming 2023 ... beyond blessed and over the moon… I (love) you @tommypelphrey !!!,” the caption read.
Cuoco regularly showed off her growing baby bump throughout her pregnancy. Cuoco and Pelphrey walked the red carpet at the 2023 Golden Globes shortly after her baby shower in January, which included unicorns and a light show.
After Matilda was born, Cuoco continued to document plenty of sweet moments with her daughter, including major milestones.
Less than a week after her daughter's birth, Cuoco shared several photos of her, Pelphrey and their newborn on her Instagram story, adding the caption, “Matilda’s girl gang.”
In November 2023, Cuoco happened to be filming when Matilda said “mama” for the first time. While the actor was teasing her daughter by repeatedly saying “mama” as they played, Matilda shocked her mom by repeating the word back to her.
“Mama! What?” Cuoco said, shocked. “You just said Mama! What was that?”
Why they chose the name 'Matilda'
In November 2023, Cuoco revealed when and why they chose the name Matilda in an exclusive interview with TODAY.com. She said the couple were only a week into their relationship when they heard someone call out the name "Matilda."
“We looked at each other and it was like, ‘Would it be crazy to say if we had a baby we’d name her Matilda?’” Cuoco said. “You know when you first start dating and you’re so obsessed, and you’re planning your future children. It was that sort of thing.”
When they found out their baby would be a girl, they immediately knew what the name would be.
"We actually kept her name a complete secret until she was born," Cuoco said. "And it’s so her. She’s such a Matilda."
Kaley Cuoco thinks Matilda will follow in her acting footsteps
“The Flight Attendant” star, in a May 2023 interview with Emmy Magazine, revealed she was not looking to have a baby before meeting Pelphrey.
“As a young girl I dreamed of it, but I became involved in my career,” she said.
But after meeting Pelphrey, “it was instantaneous, ‘Oh my God, I want to have a kid with you,” she recalled.
Cuoco also told Emmy Magazine that she believes Matilda could take after her parents and go into acting.
“It’s in her genes; I don’t know how she won’t,” Cuoco said. “The child already thinks she’s the star of everything.”
Kaley Cuoco loves motherhood, but don't call her 'momma'
While Cuoco has said becoming a mother marked the "best year" of her life, there's one part of being a new parent that she doesn't love — getting called "momma" by strangers.
“What I hate is how everyone now is like, ‘Hey, momma!’ What is that? I had a call on the way here and she was like, ‘How’s mom life?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s the same as it was 10-and-a-half months ago,’” Cuoco said during a recent episode of the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast.
“I get this visceral, angry reaction. Like, ‘Hey, momma, you’re looking so good.’ I’m like, ‘What did I look like before?’” the actor continued.
“If they know you have a baby, then all of a sudden you’re ‘momma’ and you look good. But it’s different than just normal looking good,” she added.
The former “Big Bang Theory” star told host Conan O’Brien that she had her assistant call a meeting to ask people on the set of a recent acting job to stop calling her “momma.”
“I started to really resent everybody,” she said, adding, “I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Kaley Cuoco opens up about Matilda's screen time
Cuoco has been an open book when it comes to being a new mom, and doesn’t seem to care if people disagree with her parenting decisions.
In an interview with USA Today published in January 2024, Cuoco revealed how she’s fared during her first year as a mother and her mindset and strategies for parenthood.
Specifically, she said that one decision she’s made may upset some — allowing her 10-month-old daughter to have screen time.
“Some people are going to hate on me for that. Don’t care,” she said. “My daughter’s seen every Disney movie that there is at this point, and she loves it!”
She said it’s been nice for her as well.
“It’s actually been cool to go back and watch some of these Disney movies,” she continued. “Some of them are so new that I’ve never even seen them. So I’m experiencing this whole thing with her.”
