Happy Birthday, Evie!

Evie - We keep saying that we just cannot believe that you are 1. Look how little you used to be - this year has gone by faster than any other year of our life. You have brought us inmeasurable joy and happiness. We cannot even remember our life before you were born. What did we do with all of our time. Nothing is as important as taking care of you.

I remember sitting at the hospital quite comfy after my epidural. We called your grandparents and of course your Aunt Lindsay to let them know that we were at the hospital and you were on the way! Uncle Ben came to the hospital too. He was a first year law student so he had a lot of work but he worked in the waiting room.

Our nurse said you would arrive around lunchtime so we were worried that your She She and Poppy would not make it from Sunset. Guess what, the nurse was wrong! We spent the day chatting with everyone and I was able to rest some. Something amazing happened while we were in the hospital, Captain Sully landed an airplane on the Hudson River. He became a national hero for keeping all of his passsengers safe. The passengers were on the news standing on the wings of the airplane. Pretty cool! Your Daddy left with She She and Poppy to get something to eat. I am sure he was pretty hungry and I rested. By this point, my epidural was long gone so I had to get another one. Everyone was hanging out in the waiting room. Another group came in with wine and snacks. Your She She went over to meet them and snagged a glass of wine from them. Finally, you were getting really close to making your appearance. I did not feel like it was real. It seemed like I was looking down on everything and not really a part of it.

Aunt Lindsay and Nana were waiting outside the door. They could not wait to meet you. Finally, it was time for the doctor to arrived and you popped out within thirty minutes or so at 1:33 AM. We thought you were beautiful from the very beginning and just loved your blonde hair. The nurses weighed you and checked you out from head to toe! We thought you were just perfect and they agreed. We were so thankful that you were born healthy in every way! You weighed 8.1 oz and were 20.5 inches long. Daddy got to hold you first and he just fell in love with you. I was so excited to hold you and snuggle with you. You were a perfect little bundle all wrapped up in a warm blanket. Daddy went to tell everyone you had arrived and to tell everyone your name. We kept your name a secret because we thought it was special and we did not want to hear any opinions. Aunt Lollie and Uncle Kurt taught us that trick. Evelyn Claire was the perfect name for you and everyone else agreed. We told everyone that your nickname would be Evie.

Everyone came in to see you and they thought you were just wonderful too. You are Nana and Ipop's first grandchild so that is extra special. She She and Poppy know all about little girls. Mary and Lucy have taught them all about bows, ballet and the color pink!

It was so special to have the grandparents, Uncle Ben and Aunt Lindsay there to see you on your birthday. Everyone left to go home to catch some sleep. We held you and looked at you for a little while longer. Then the nurse took you away to give you a few tests. Of course, you passed them all with flying colors and then you slept in the nursery the first night.

So, now you know all about the day you were born! Here's what you are up to these days:

You weigh about 20 pounds and wear 12-18 month clothes and a size 4 diaper.

You go to bed at 7:00 every night and you sleep all night long. You wake up around 6:30. I wish you could sleep just a little bit longer in the mornings but you are our alarm clock. Naptime is still around 8:30 and 1. You sleep for at least 1.5 hours and usually more. Mommy gets so much done during this time.

You love to stand and love to cruise around the house. You will take a step or two but that's about all the interest you have in walking. It's really fun to watch you push your grocery cart around the house.

You love lights and point to them all the time. We think it's really funny to hold you under a light and ask you how old you are because you hold up one little finger to represent your age. That's what we tell ourselves anyway.

You still love to eat but are not eating quite as much as before. Pancakes and banana are your favorite breakfast. You like turkey and cheese with grapes for lunch. Pasta is always yummy and you think pork is really great. You still nurse a few times a day and drink a sippy of milk several times a day too. Fruit is always a hit especially mandarin oranges and strawberries.

You like to squeal and giggle at everyone. I think you are pretty social and you make the other mommies laugh at Kindermusik because you get so very excited.

You have a few friends that you really enjoy. We play a lot with Logan, Cassidy and Abby. I wish we could see James and Paisley more because you would love to explore with them.

You say a few words like Mama and Dada. However, we can convince ourselves that you are saying whatever we want. Daddy thinks you are saying touchdown when you hold up your arms. It sure sounds like it.

Evie, we hope you have a wonderful birthday and many more happy years to come! You are so special to us and we are so thankful for every minute of life with you. We are having a party for you this afternoon. I cannot wait to see your reaction to cake. Mommy LOVES cake! Happy Birthday, Evie!!! We love you!