thinking about you . . .

dear kate,
tomorrow is your first birthday
it's hard to believe that you will be one whole year old . . .
where does the time go?
it's seems like just yesterday that i was holding you for the first time just after you were born . . .
i sent you a parcel with some presents in it and i hope you like them
tomorrow we will have a nice 'chat' on skype and i'll watch you open your gifts
i love you so much my little angel . . .
love,
grammy xo

your 1st birthday party . . .

dear kate,
mommy sent me these pictures of your very first birthday party!
grampy and grammy couldn't be there because we live so far away . . . but
we were thinking about you, and we knew you would have loads of fun . . .
and you did!
when you come to visit in june, i will make you a special belated birthday cake!
we all love you so much . . .
love,
grammy xo

piddle . . .

dear kate,
mommy called me today to say you had a terrible diaper rash . . .
the experts told her to let you run around without a diaper
you know, so you would 'air out' . . .
so she did . . .
and it was quite the adventure, i'm told . . .
so . . . in honour of the event . . . i wrote a little nursery rhyme . . .

hey diddle, diddle

katie did piddle

all over the kitchen floor

she peed here and there

while she ran around bare

till katie could pee no more

it trickled and dripped

till mom almost tripped

on the wet spots all over the place

she just followed and wiped

while she murmered and griped

all the while with a smile on her face

she really couldn't get mad

you weren't being bad

but just following the doctor's plan

and so it went on

till the rash was all gone

and mommy lifted that diaper ban

love,

grammy xo

your mommy . . .

dear kate,
look at this!
it's your mommy when she was just a little baby . . .
isn't she beautiful?
she's wearing a pink hat, sweater and booties that were knit for my mom - your great granny joy - by her grandmother . . . nanny
and guess what?
that means it was your great, great, great grandmother who made it . . .
just imagine . . .
great granny joy wore it home from the hospital,
then i wore it home from the hospital,
and then your mommy wore it home from the hospital . . .
three generations . . . and what's more amazing is that your great granny joy, and me (grammy), and mommy were all born in the very same hospital . . .
the ottawa civic hospital in ottawa, ontario.
i wanted to pass that special outfit down to you, my first granddaughter, but it was burned in a house fire we had when your mommy was just 9 years old.
that was sad . . .
but i like to think about happy things
and you know what, Kate?
i think that your mommy was as beautiful a baby as you are . . .
and you . . . and your mommy make me very happy
love,
grammy xo

you have a new cousin . . .

dear kate,
i am so happy for you because
your new cousin, Jack has been born!
he is so adorable . . .
you and he will have so much fun
as you grow up together
love,
grammy xoxo

you have to be polite . . . no matter what . . .

dear kate,
today grampy and i went with you and mommy and auntie beka and auntie steph to hawesbury where granny lucienne lives . . .
granny lucienne is grampy's mother
and guess what?
she cooked snails and we all ate them!
yes! snails . . .
mommy wanted to be polite, so she ate 5 of them!
of course, you didn't have to eat any . . .
we all love granny lucienne
but we don't love snails!
love,
grammy xox

missing you already . . .

dear kate,
i love this picture of you and me . . .
we are both so happy . . .
you are wearing the yoga outfit i bought you at the children's place in ottawa!
do you think we look alike?
well . . . we both have blue eyes and we're both quite round!
i'm sending you mushy kisses all over your chubby cheeks!
you are my angel . . .
love,
grammy xo