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.