Emma's 2010 Birthday- June 1

Good morning to you, birthday girl. Good morning to you! We ate breakfast together and I made teddy bear pancakes for her birthday. She thought they were pretty nifty.


I can't even believe that my baby girl is 2 years old today!

Teddy Bear pancakes with raisins for eyes, nose and mouth. YUM!

Cheesin' with Daddy.

Emma helped make her own birthday cupcakes: white cupcakes with strawberry frosting. We chose the color/flavors based on her love of pink right now, not that she actually LIKES strawberry flavoring..... She ate one today and that was it! The rest got dumped. She is a chocolate girl!!

Lickin' the utensils is THE BEST!!!


Having a LOT of fun this morning!!! Frosting cupcakes, licking frosting.... (Grrr.... I somehow deleted 2 more cupcake making pictures AND the one of her eating it after dinner!! and the only way to add it back in is at the very top!!)



Ahhhh!! Now it is time for presents! She got to open a few today, as it is her birthday and the rest was saved for her party.

Talking about her age and that she was now 2 years old like the card said.

New jammies from Grammy & Gramps. "I am NOT sleepy" it says on the front. :-)

Presents from England: from Aunt Sarah, Uncle Richard and her cousins Brandon and Hayden.


She LOVES this book! (Still at almost 3. I was posting these pics and she saw this one and took off for her room. Returning with the book in hand. Showed the screen the book, like she was comparing them.)

Each page has a peekaboo flap to raise in order to see the child's face, and the the last page has a mirror to see your own face. CUTE! CUTE!

What could this be????

A rain jacket from Auntie Sarah. It is the beginning of our rainy season, wonder if she'll get to use it much??? (Later on I found her some pink rain boots at a yard sale)

Trying out her new markers and art paper from Mommy & Daddy. Using that left hand!! What a smarty she is! :-)

Happy Birthday Emma Rose!!

Emma's Birthday Party

Emma's party started off with a craft for the kids. Or, I guess for the Mommy's... We decorated foam sun visors with fun shapes and paint pens.

You can see Destiny on the left, Cyndi's lil' friend, Halie, Stephanie, Me & Emma

Here is Halie & Steph hard at work! Halie did all of the choosing, and Mommy did the actual work. :)

Here is Gramma D. trying to hold Miss Emma. She was not happy to be pulled away from the kids for these silly photo ops!! But, Martin had the good idea to try to get a photo for her album! Someday she will appreciate this one!

Here we are posing in front of all of Emma's gifts! She was not happy to have to get another picture taken! She had been playing with the kids and wanted to get back to business!!

I had Publix make her cake as a cupcake cake or pull-apart cake, in the shape of a daisy. I also made chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and dipped pretzels, so that we had choices. I had bought a candy daisy pretzel mold and spent an entire evening painting the daisies with colored chocolate and a tiny paint brush & inserting the pretzel rods!!! UGH!!!

We had dinner first. Mom, Stephanie & Cyndi helped bring different food items. Martin grilled burgers & hot dogs and we had baked beans, baked mac & cheese, hash brown casserole, BBQ'd pulled beef, potato chips, cheese ball & crackers. I made a strawberry lemon aid, as well.

We were supposed to set up 2 Corn Hole games in the back yard, but it kept raining and ruined that plan.

Bob & Gina (Steph's in-laws) got her this Pull Along Pelican. She loves small balls and it has several that go in it's mouth!

There is no photo, but Melissa & Gene got her a cute play purse w/ several items that go inside a purse, as well as a darling Watermelon pink play outfit.

Here is the pre-cursor gift from Nana, a sand & water wheel. Wonder what the other gift could possibly be??????????? (Nana also had some other clothes for her, but there is no photo of them either)

Here is one of the gifts from cousin Halie & Aunt Steph- a wooden beginner puzzle. (Mommy & Daddy LOVE wooden toys from 'Melissa & Doug' and this is one of their puzzles.) She also made Emma a cute 1st birthday picture frame.

My Cousin Cyndi & her family got Emma a baby stroller. It is designed to work as a "walker" type toy and won't tip over when the child pushes it or applies pressure. Now she just needs a dolly! Grayden(Cyndi's hubby) was flabbergasted that she didn't already have a doll!! But, we haven't needed one until now!

Keep on an eye on Emma from this point on, she plays continuously with the box! Standing on it, sitting on it...

Auntie Sarah-Jayne and her family sent over a package filled with lovely things. Here is a butterfly mobile that she made. Daddy got it hung above Emma's bed the very next morning! She also sent a super cute red & white outfit w/ a cute hat!

And a gorgeous dress that will have to wait for the next size. This is a good thing tho', as we don't have too many church/party dresses in size 18 months yet!

Here we are posing with the biggest package of the night. From Nana & Papaw. Wonder what it could be???? And of course Emma is STILL on the stroller box!! :)

You can't actually see what it is, but it is a Butterfly Sandbox & Wading Pool, with an umbrella. You fill one wing with sand and when it is opened, you can fill the other wing with water. When you finish playing each day, you empty the water side and close it over the sand side to keep your sand clean from critters that roam thru your yard in the night! Like cats and rabbits and... This is why Nana bought the sand wheel. Now we need a bucket... (Another blog shoing it in the yard coming soon)

OK, cake time! Wonder just what she'll do with cake?? She loved her cupcakes on her actual birthday, so what will she do when she has complete control over the cake and the frosting and where it goes?????

Publix provides a small round cake for the 1 year old for free when you purchase their actual birthday cake, only if you have them write "1 year or First" somehow and somewhere on the cake.

I was cracking up! She leaned right down and put her mouth to it! She wanted a bite, but wasn't too sure about the feel of the frosting all over her fingers...........

Getting better and better...

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? She had frosting EVERYWHERE!!! In her armpits... her hair... all over the highchair.... behind her ears... in her ears... but she had a blast! And I got lots of great photos!!

I used 2 wash cloths and made about 10 or 12 trips back & forth from sink to Emma trying to wash her up. We just wiped away the majority and let her go outside.

It had stopped raining and we had bubbles to get to. I took off her dress as it was covered in frosting, and she ran around in her undies. :)

I bought them the large bubble wands and Josiah brought his bubble machine. It made some amazing bubbles! Emma had super crunchy hair! Totally stiff with leftover frosting and then she ended up smeared with bubble mixture!!! I finally had to take her in and give her a quick bath! We put on her jammies and she came back out to see everyone for a little more, as some people were leaving by then. What a great time we all had! Thank you to each and everyone of you who helped make it a special day for Emma and for Mommy & Daddy! Love to you all!

Birthday Wagon From Grammy & Gramps

We went out a few days after Emma's birthday and bought her wagon. A red wagon. Grammy & Gramps had sent her the money for it as part of her gift. At this point, I think she prefers the box!! Silly girl! She was not happy when I made her get off of it so that Daddy could open it and put it together. Why is it that small children always love the box more than the actual item at first??

She had to check it out at each stage of the process! On the box... in the wagon before it had a handle or wheels....

You can see she is still in her jammies at this point, but after her morning nap, Daddy had it completed and ready for a ride in the back garden.

We had to check out who had the better price and which wagon was the best for our needs. This one has seat belts, cup and snack holders along the sides. It will really come in handy for future outings to places like: parks, fairs, outdoor concerts, etc...

Daddy has taken her for rides on the porch, in the house and in the yard. She is liking it more and more and down the road a bit, she will like it even more! Thank you Grammy & Gramps for the wonderful wagon!!

Emma's Big Birthday Gift

Martin & I both decided that Emma needed a new car seat rather than any toy or play item. Not quite so fun, but it was a definite need! We had a $5 gift card and a 15% coupon for Babies R Us, and when I suggested it, he was online and for some reason he went to Craigslist. There was a forward facing seat that had just been posted and was in our area. They said it was like new, but you never know. He called and talked with the woman and decided to go right then.

Well, it was almost time for Emma to go to bed and she was cranky so we did not go with him. I told him my biggest concern was that it was CLEAN! When he got there to see it, it really was 'like new"! It had been bought for some grandkids who had only used it a few times. It was wrapped in plastic, completely clean, not dusty and really was almost new! What a blessing it was to find such a good seat and it only cost us $20!



Emma had grown so tall that in her infant car seat her poor little legs were bent at the knees, like she was sitting in a chair! She loves being able to see us. The only thing she has to get used to now, is falling asleep in it, as her poor head flops over!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Emma

My "12 picture" blog has turned into waayyyy more! I originally thought I would choose 1 photo from each month of her life and re-cap the year that way, but that was kinda hard to do! Especially June of last year!! I couldn't pick just one, so you get many. Here we go...





June 1st, 2008 Emma Rose Lovejoy graced us with her presence. She weighed in at 5 pounds and 4 ounces. Daddy did not get to cut the umbilical cord, as the Dr. felt she had to get her out ASAP, as the cord was kinda wrapped around her. It was all surreal. Knowing that you had just given birth, watching all of the after birthing things that happen within those first 10-15 minutes, but you are not a part of, as the Doctor is finishing her job, but yet it feels like it is happening to someone else and you are a spectator or something. It took awhile for it to sink in that this is real. She is mine. This is the most special gift God could have given to Martin & I.

Here we are at the end of a long day. A very happy Delamarter-Lovejoy family!

In this one, I am pointing at her blue mouth. She had been breastfeeding and was sucking so hard that her mouth was blue.

She scared us that first night. During the night she was in her bassinet in my room and she started coughing and gagging and the sides were up and padded (the nurse was concerned that I might have a seizure) and I couldn't get to her and I couldn't get to a call button and Martin was asleep! I yelled for him and somehow he got up, we got her and we got the nurse and the nurse flipped her over and pounded her back. She still had fluid in there and scared me TO DEATH!!! Our original plan was I was going to go home and immediately sleep her in her nursery/crib... Well, after that episode that idea flew right out of the window! I would have been sleeping in the rocking chair in her room if we had done that! We borrowed a bassinet from my cousin and that allowed her to sleep by my bed for the first 3-4 weeks. (After that scare and the bassinet change, she never had another gagging/not breathing episode).

Here we are all dressed to go home. Three days old. She lost 4 ounces before leaving the hospital and was a tiny bit jaundiced. That corrected itself immediately and she regained her birthweight before her first Dr. appt.

Daddy's little angel!! Ready to meet the world and see her new home.

June 8, introducing her to Great Grandpa Delamarter. We have 4 generations here: Robert, Philip, Davida & Emma.

Great Grandma Delamarter was in love! She adored her long fingers and kept saying "Look at those long fingers. She's going to play the piano".

Awwwwww! Asleep on Papaw's chest! What a sweet picture!

It got this one and the previous one out of order. This is the day we got home. It took all my energy to get ready to leave, stop at Martin's office and show her off for 5 minutes, drive home, eat my McD's and change into jammies. Emma & I slept in the recliner while Daddy put the swing together. He was just about as tired, but didn't have the luxury of a nap. He had to immediately go into "Daddy" mode.

Meeting Aunt Trina for the 1st time. Emma was 9 days old when my best friend forever, Katrina came to visit. She stayed with us for 2 weeks. Such a wonderful thing to have your best pal here to help out, chat, hang with, and even venture out a few times. It was different for her, and I guess me too, as we are used to going and doing constantly when we are together and just having had a baby didn't allow me to "go & do" too much.

July we celebrated Emma's first Independance Day. Mommy bought her a "sweetheart" outfit and Cousin Halie gave us another one that was blue.

In August, Emma met her paternal grandparents for the first time. Grammy & Gramps came from England for a 3 week stay. They adore having a granddaughter. Several mornings I found Gramps standing by the crib talking with her, just after she woke up. Such cute moments to watch.

Emma was dedicated to the Lord in August also, while Grammy & Gramps were here. Pastor Wolf & my Dad did the ceremony. She wore Martin's Christening gown from when he was a baby. It has a long satin bow on the back that was taken off of Mum's wedding dress and attached for Martin's Christening. So, we left it on here for Emma's. Mum loved that!! Martin & his sister and her 2 sons have been christened in this same gown. We plan to keep it safe and save it for Emma's children someday.

During September several things happened: I had to wean Emma over to formula; we got Emma to give up that final middle of the night feeding and sleep all night; weaned her from her swaddle blanket at bedtimes; gave up the binky, and in doing so she learned to soothe herself by sucking her fingers. Her left hand, first 2 fingers and they are turned upside down. To this days he still sucks those same fingers in the same way when it is naptime only.

After her 4 month check-up in October, the Dr. said to start rice cereal. So, we did one time a day. I kept that up for EVER, but she was actually not physically ready to eat solids yet, as she still had that infant 'tongue-thrust' and couldn't actually swallow too well. But, we introduced her to it at each morning feeding time.

Here we are in November, with Daddy showing Emma his workshop & his power tools. He had been finishing up the toy box that Gramps had built in August, and I took Emma in to see.

Here we are in December, 6 months old and discovering our feet! She loved her toes and had to play with them, suck on them all the time.

January 1st 2009 arrives and so does Emma's first teeth. Yes, teeth. Not one, but two came in at the same time! We spent New Year's with Stephanie & Robert and cousin Halie.

February found Emma making some major milestones within several minutes & weeks of each other. She sat up by herself first. I was so excited, I ran for the camera and got 1 picture and then she was pulling up to standing!! That day Daddy lowered her mattress so she couldn't get hurt. This made the top rail unreachable and she couldn't pull herself up. But, about 2 weeks later that changed and she figured out how to do it anyway. She was also scooting/bouncing around. She wasn't crawling, but doing this funny bouncing scoot.

Then March rolled in and Emma figured out how to crawl! WOW! We were so thrilled for her! She just got better & faster at it and soon was everywhere!!

April came with Easter and egg hunts and egg coloring, but Emma was working on "cruising''. She would walk around the furniture, hanging on to stuff and moving along and when she needed to she'd drop down and crawl to the next piece. We kept saying "she'll be walking soon".

Well, surprise, surprise... May 1 arrives and Emma took her first real steps. 3 & 4 of them at a time and did several of those during the morning. Then, 5 days later she just took off and walked for real. Halfway across the room! Now, there is no stopping her! She is quite fast and very good at it! Although she does have a funny Charlie Chaplin kind of gait. OH, yeah... and we cut 4 new teeth this month!! We now have 6 teeth! Emma can say "Dada, Mama, Cat & nigh nigh". She can now sign "milk" and "please", as well.

Here we are today, June 1, 2009. One year old. She got some presents (clothes, Leapfrog Music activity table, money for a wagon, new sippy cups/suction plate and a new big girl tooth brush and tooth paste) and ate a cupcake. She's never had something like that before! But, she dove right in! Ate some of it and ended up with frosting EVERYWHERE!!! Her face, hands, hair, behind her ear, her shoulder.... and probably even more places I'll find tomorrow when I get her up & washed.

What an amazing journey this past year has been! I used to think I was ok with my life the way it was, until God gave me Martin. Then, we tried and tried for an Emma and it wasn't happening, so I was getting my mind ready for no babies, and then we are given this wonderful gift of life we call Emma Rose. She has been such a blessing, not only to us but to my parents and grandparents. We are looking towards the future and waiting for all that Emma's little life will bring.