Driving Your Car Better & Eating With Both Hands+

Hi Doodle Doo Bopper!

We visited Christa, Noah, Ben and Jenna on your birthday. You had fun playing on Jenna`s car. It was the first time that we saw you pushing yourself foward. Since then, you`ve been starting to push your own car forward a little bit when you`re sitting on it. Jenna had fun with you when you were on her car. She was pushing and pulling you around. She pushed you forward into the couch a few times. We had to jump up and stop her so she didn`t push you into the couch too hard and knock you off the car.

This is Jenna getting ready to give you a push while you drove her car.

Haha... I laughed at you while you were eating tonight. After I fed you supper, I gave you some cheezies on your high chair table. You were gobbling them up, often with one in each hand. I then gave you a few corn twists too. I laughed when you had a cheezie in each hand, and then leaned over to try to bite into the pile of corn twists at the same time. I never expected that you would need more than your two hands while eating... haha.

You were so nice offering to share a cheezie with me. You took it back and put it in your mouth just as I was going to bite it. You`re a silly little monster ... but you`re a darn cute monster :)

Lots of hugs and kisses!
Daddy

Opening Presents...

Hi Big Baby One-year-old!!

So, Daddy told you all about your wonderful birthday party!  You were such a good-girl baby!!  I'm going to tell you about the part where you opened all of your presents from all your terrific family and friends!!

You were quite enthusiastic about opening presents...but not for the reason you might think!  You loved opening presents so that you could try to eat all the wrapping paper!

Here is what you got for your birthday:

From Nana and Grumpy you got a wonderful toy...it's called Songs 'n Smiles Silly Town.  It makes funny sounds and music and has really neat blocks that come with it.  We put it together first and you really like to play with it.

From Aunt Christa you got a great-big, lonnnng CaterSpeller!  It's a caterpillar with all the letters of the alphabet!  It looks really great in your room!

From Kaleigh you got an awesome purple Dora zip-up blanket, a shirt, and a baby wearing a bumble bee costume.  Jenna really, really liked the Bumble Bee...so, we let her play with it.

Grammie gave you a really nice baby and a very pretty purple outfit and some money, too!  She also got you a nice book called Love You Forever.  She wrote on the inside of it for you.  I hope you will have it forever.

From Cameron, Brenna and Devon you got a really neat Laugh 'n Learn Purse.  It makes music and sounds and it came with toy lipstick, keys, a bracelet and play money inside.  You really like it.

Daddy and I got you a play table.  It plays music and makes sounds and you love it.  When Daddy put batteries in it for you, you stood up and danced to the music it made.

Old Nanny gave you a really nice card with money in it.  She wanted you to get something you need with it.  Maybe Daddy and I will put it in a bank account for you...since you don't really need anything right now.

Our neighbors, Steve and Margaret, and their daughter Abby couldn't make it to the party but they gave you a really nice pink outfit for a present.  That was really nice of them!

Your cousins Noah and Ben made you homemade cards.  Ben was especially proud to give you his (he made two).  I think you liked them a lot...because you tried to eat them!!!

You sure did get a lot of presents for your birthday.  You are a very lucky little baby.

I love you big giant bunches and whacks!!

Muah.  xoxoxo.

Love Mama

1st Birthday Party

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby!

Your birthday party was fun. We had the party on Sunday, the day after your actual birthday. Most of the family was there. Nana, Grumpy, Grammie, Alan, Christa, Ben, Noah, Jenna and our neighbor Kaleigh. We all had pizza, then you opened all your great presents. You had so much fun. You ripped the paper off some presents, but mostly tried to eat the paper and card envelopes. Mommy will post some pictures and tell you all about your wonderful presents.


Here is your birthday cake made out of chocolate and white cupcakes. We were gonna get a Whinnie the Pooh theme, but thought this one was cuter. We'll try to save the little teddy bear as a keepsake.

This is Mommy brining you your cake with a candle on it. Everyone was singing happy birthday. You weren't overly excited. I think you were trying to figure out why everyone was singing and mommy was walking towards you with a cake. Needless to say, you didn't blow out your candle... I'm sure you will next year. You started screaming and getting excited after mommy started giving the cupcakes out to the other kids.


You sure had fun devouring your very own cupcake. It was a great first birthday party!

I love you so very much!
Daddy

Happy Birthday Beautiful Baby!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Baby Emma!

We've been trying to decide what to do for your first birthday card. We decided to take some photos of your letter blocks and a couple of your special teddy bears. These are the photos that we used on your card.


This is the teddy bear that Grammie gave you for your first christmas. Its the bear that she gave me for my first christmas in 1974. Grammie cleaned it up and gave it to you along with a picture of me as a little baby sitting next to it.

We spelled out Happy First Birthday with letter blocks that we used as props to spell out your name when we were taking pictures of Mommy and I last October while you were still in Mommy's belly.

The rubber Sesame Street and Whinnie the Pooh blocks are the ones that we bought for you at a yard sale at the end of the summer. You have fun playing with them. We've played games with you in your room. We stack them up into a tower and you knock them over and squeal.

The backdrop is the soft pink blanket that the Easter Bunny gave to you. You like it a lot. You like to snuggle with it and suck your thumb. Everything is sitting on the wooden toy box that we got for you at the flea market a little while ago.

In this picture, we spelled out your name. The Whinnie the Pooh is the first bear that we got for you. We got it for you before you were born. He's really soft. You love to snuggle with him and kiss him.

This is the 118th picture that I took of you. Its you, one year ago, at the young age of 33 minutes. You are holding onto my finger with your tiny hand.

Here you are 1 hour and 45 minutes old and snuggling with me. I am so happy. It was so amazing to finally be able to have you in our arms.

You are one year old today. It is amazing how fast time passes. You have grown so much, and we love you even more every day. You are such a miracle. We spent 8 months watching you grow in Mommy's belly and counting the minutes until we were able to hold you. On October 24, 2008 at 2:37 pm, you were born and filled our lives with such joy. It was like a dream the day you were born. I was so incredibly happy and filled with emotion and joy the day you were born. You are so amazing. You have made this past year so amazing. You make us so happy every day. I love to experience the world with you and watch you grow every day. Every day with you is amazing.

You are our sweet baby Emma Doodle Doo. I look forward to spending each and every day with you watching you grow. Each day with you is incredible. You are our amazing gift.

Happy Birthday Emma Doodle Doo!
I love you soooooo much!
Daddy

Happy Birthday, Doodle Doo!!!!

Happy birthday, Doodle Doo!!!

It is so hard to believe that it was a whole year ago that you came into this world to meet your Daddy and me and your brothers and sister.  It seems so weird to think that it was a whole year ago...and yet...I can't remember or imagine our lives without you.

I still remember the first time I held you...  I remember the look on your Daddy's face and how proud he was when you were born.  I remember how happy I felt that you were here and that you were healthy and safe.  I felt so lucky to finally have you.  And I still feel like the luckiest lucky every time I see your big smiley face looking up at me.

Here you are just seconds after you were born...  It is kind of a gruesome picture, because you were so new...but I wanted to put it in here because it is how you looked the very first time we saw you...  You can see that you were literally bent in half.  When you came out of my tummy the doctor said that your umbilical cord was wrapped twice around your neck.  Your Daddy and I knew that even though you were born a month early that you were meant to come to us that very day...  It could have been a much scarier time if that umbilical cord had tightened around your neck if you had stayed in my belly longer.

This picture shows you just minutes after you were born when the special neo-natal team were working on you.  They were at your birth because you were born early.  They made sure that you were healthy and strong before they gave you to Daddy and me.  It seemed like such a long wait to hold you!

Here you are when they finally finished.  They wrapped you up and were getting ready to give you to me to hold for the first time.  When I looked at this picture after you were born, I always said that you were just as upset to have been waiting for me as I was waiting for you!

Here you are finally in my arms.  It was such hard work giving birth to you, but even though I was very tired, I was so happy to finally have the chance to snuggle you.  Daddy was so proud and so happy.  For many days after you were born, Daddy would become overwhelmed with emotion just looking at you.  We cried joyful tears together many times at the hospital after spending hours just looking at you.

You were such a special baby then, and you are even more special now.  We love you so completely.  You brothers and sisters adore you and their faces light up when they see you, just like your face lights up when you see any of them.

So, what did we do on the day of your first birthday?  Well, we didn't have your birthday party today, because Cameron had football in Souris...so your party is tomorrow.  Lots of friends and family members will be coming to celebrate with you.

Today, though, we travelled to Souris for Cameron's football game.  We dropped Cameron off at the field and then we went to visit Aunt Christa and your cousins, Noah, Ben and Jenna.  After a little while, we left you with Christa and you played with Jenna while we went to watch Cameron's game.  Christa says you ate and ate and ate the whole time!  You sure do love to eat!

We picked you up after the football game and when we got back to Charlottetown, we went to eat Chinese food.  You weren't very hungry after eating all afternoon at Christa's...but you still ate lots!  When we were eating supper, we started playing a game that I've been playing with you for about a week now.  You love it!  I say, "Emma, where's your belly?  Show Mama your belly..." and then you lift up your shirt and show me your belly.  As soon as you do, I grab your belly and tickle you and you giggle and laugh.  You think it's such a funny game!

You are such a wonderful and happy baby.  We love you so much.  Happy, happy, happy first birthday, Emma Doodle Doo!!!

Love and hugs and kisses, from Mama. 

7th Tooth & Another Coming Soon!

Hi Little Baby Emma!

You got your 7th tooth. Its the one on the left side of your two bottom front teeth. The one on the right of you top front teeth will be coming soon.

We're glad that you don't really bite us any more like you used to :)

I love you so very much!
Daddy

You sixth tooth...and more!

Hi Emma Doodle Doo,

New Tooth

You finally got your sixth tooth!!  It is on the bottom on the right side of your two middle teeth!  I think you are also getting some more teeth because you are really chewing on your fingers a lot...and you're a little cranky, too.

Still Sick :(

Daddy and I took you to the doctor again yesterday.  You were up crying all night again the night before.  Poor little monkey.  Dr. Coady looked at your ears and throat and listened to your chest.  He said your left ear is still infected.  You have more medicine to take.  Luckily, this medicine seems to taste better than the last stuff you had.  You don't fuss at all when we give it to you.  Actually, you even seem to like it and you try to suck every drop out of the syringe we give it to you in.  We have also been giving you advil and tylenol to help you feel better.  You gobble it all up without complaint.  You're such a good girl baby.

Supper Time

Tonight for supper we had chicken and french fries and peas.  You were soooo hungry!!!  You ate tons and tons and tons!  You would eat everything we put on your tray and then you would scream for more.  You are such a great eater.  While you were eating, you would put your hand out to give Daddy a bite and when he'd go to take it from you, you would take it back and eat it yourself.  You're so funny!

A Budding Musician

Last night Cameron and Brenna were playing with you.  You were a little bit cranky so they took you into Brenna's room.  Brenna decided to play the keyboard for you....with her bottom!  Cameron was holding you and you were dancing and screaming with excitement.  Then, they decided to let you play the keyboard...you had so much fun!   You were so fascinated by the sounds the keyboard made - you were an awesome little musician!!

After you had such a great time playing the keyboard, they decided that you might like to play the drums.  So, they took you downstairs to play rockband!  You loved banging on the drums and you really liked the sound that the drum sticks made when you banged them together, too!  Mostly, though, you liked chewing on the drum sticks...it must be those new teeth that you are getting!  All in all, I would say you are going to be very talented - it runs in the family.  Uncle Billy will be very, very proud!

That's all for now, sweet baby bopper.  We will write to you again soon!

Love, Mama. 

xoxoxo