Day of Destruction
Sunday, January 30 2005
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Daily Photo
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Even though her bithday isn't until Thursday, we had to arrange things to accommodate the relatives, you know. It was a blast. Wait until you see what I smeared on her head.
(P.S. Jon took this photo because I was in the background somewhere silently freaking out.)
1. Julie said:
Happy Birthday Leta!!!
2. Brooke said:
Awwwwwww.
3. Charles said:
Happy birthday!
4. Diana said:
Aw, happy early birthday Leta! That cake looks yummy.
5. smacks said:
Happy Birthday, Honey!
6. closet metro said:
happy birthday too you!
happy birthday too you!
happy birthday dear Leta!
happy birthday too you!
7. Jennifer said:
Happy Birthday Super Star!!
8. sarah p said:
Next year I'm totally going topless for my birthday! Happy birthday!
9. pao said:
happy birthday leta! ^_^
10. Bucky Four-Eyes said:
You know, I wound up just like this at my last birthday party, but strangely, no one thought it was the least bit cute.
Happy almost-birthday Leta! You're almost ready for that there piano (izzat what that is?).
11. Beth said:
Wow, a year has passed already! Thanks for sharing it with us, and Happy Birthday, Leta!
12. kEma said:
HAPPY BIRTH DAY pumpkinnnn
We all love you
KIsses you the cake babyyy
13. Laurie said:
Go Leta GO!
Happy first birthday cutie!!
14. kEma said:
(even though in advance)
15. Shelli said:
Wow - time DOES fly! What a big girl you are...
Happy Birthday dear red headded beautiful one! From all of your wacky on-line fans.
xoxox,
Shelli from NYC
16. heidi said:
Hooray! Happy birthday party day to Leta!
17. Jackie said:
Dooce!
I just caught the New York Times and you and Leta fill the entire space above the fold! Its as exciting as seeing a picture of my old friends. Thanks for your smart and witty blog, I read it every day.
18. Ronda said:
Mmmmm... cake!
Happy birthday Leta!
She is soooo adorable!
19. OkieT said:
Happy birthday, gorgeous girl! I've enjoyed watching you grow. And thanks, Dooce, for sharing your lovely life with the world. I can identify with so much of what you've gone through, and it helps to see someone else work through it at the same time. You're my hero!
20. Sarah said:
Leta: "Are you people done singing yet? Because I'm about to destroy this thing"
I cannot wait to see the pictures of the aftermath!!
21. shy said:
what a good idea! eating first birthday cake totally nekkid! :) we should do this for our daughter... i'm totally anticipating the hands in the cake scenerio.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LETA!!!
22. coskel said:
Sarah said at 07:44AM, 01.30.2005:
Leta: “Are you people done singing yet? Because I’m about to destroy this thing”
what she said..LOL
23. Laura C. said:
The pic of Leta in the Times is adorable.
Happy pre-birthday to her!
24. sweetney said:
and many happy returns, leta!
congrats to all yous armstrongs again on the stunning NYT spectacular. i woke up this morning, opened the paper, and looked upon the face of dear leta. it was kind of a remarkable moment.
so happy for you all, for all you have to be happy about. xo.
25. stacey said:
Ya know, I started reading dooce JUST before the baby was born - at work, we were all checking the site for updates. When you posted the 11-month open letter to Leta, I realized it would soon be a year.. Wow. I've read this site EVERY DAY for a year and I still look forward to it every morning.
Thank you thank you thank you - and may Leta have a super chocolate-covered first birthday.
26. jules said:
what an amazing year for your family! Congratulations!
Have a great birthday week Leta!
P.S. - don't forget Chuck... i'm sure he wouldn't mind a piece of cake...
27. pinksugar said:
A whole year already! she's almost a little girl now, not a baby! I hope she gets lots of exciting things like boohbah videos(agreed that show is the SCARIEST thing, and those toys are PORNOGRAPHIC!!)and clothing and the best bit is when she gets to rip all the paper off and play in it! happy birthday to Leta, she's so gorgeous!
28. HFS said:
Can't wait to see the "AFTER" photo!!
Happy Birthday, Leta!!
29. Charmaine said:
Happy Birthday Leta!
30. anneka said:
i can remember pacing around like a relative waiting for her to be born. i cant believe it's been almost a year. thanks for sharing your family with us.
happy early birthday, leta!!
31. Library Girl said:
Happy Big 1 Miss Leta!!!
32. maxigumee said:
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday and you're also on the front cover of the New York Times Sunday Style Section and your photo is huge, Happy Birthday to you! :D
33. Chris said:
Happy (early) Birthday, Leta! Congrats for making it this far, Dooce and Blurb! (My kids get that same candle.)
34. Honey Bunny said:
YAY! Happy Birthday Leta!!
35. Ninotchka said:
Awww, Happy early Birthday Leta! She's absolutely adorable.
36. R said:
Happy Birthday!
37. Amie said:
Happy birthday fabulous child!
I openned my copy of the NYT today and thought, "what a cute kid...she looked kinda familiar...HOLY CRAP THAT'S LETA!"
A goodish article but highly misleading headline. They give you the idea that it's all about these self-absorbed parents neglecting their children to navel-gaze in their blogs, but the articles actually about coping with parenthood using the blog as a tool. Dooce, you come off great, aand thanks for a year of making me feel not so alone.
38. Zorbs said:
Am I the only one who thinks that candle looks more phallic than the average candle? Oh and happy birthday Leta!
39. Badger said:
Aw! Happy birthday, big girl!
40. girlpunch said:
Happy Birthday Leta! This is my Dooce birthday! I became a Dooce reader right around this time last year.
41. chickenflicken said:
Happy Birthday To You!
You live in a Zoo!
You look like a Monkey,
And you smell like one TOO!
(that was from my kids to Queen Leta)
Good idea taking the clothes off, Heather, I didn't figure that one out til my third child - the first two were twins, so leaving them dressed to destroy their cakes really just counts as one dumb move, right?
42. mc said:
Ok, am dying for the husband figure to come home from the gym (he's crazy) and bring the Sunday papers with him. The Style section is pretty much the pinnacle of western civilization, right?? Not even Paris Hilton achieved *that* by her first birthday. (not that Leta of course will turn out anything like Paris...)
43. AlbionJessica said:
Congrats on turning one, Leta! You're halfway to the terrible twos now!
44. Kaiasmom said:
Happy first birthday Leta!!!
45. SharonO said:
w00t!! Happy, Happy first, Leta!
AND congratulations, Heather and Jon for surviving the most terrifying, exciting year of your lives ... so far. Here's to many, MANY more!
*blows kisses and happy birthday wishes!*
46. suger said:
Happy Birthday to Leta! I was surprised yet delighted to see her beautiful face in the NYT. She will thank you later for that birthday present:)
I love your writing and your candid outlook on your life. Thank you!
47. kit said:
The second grade teacher whose place I've taken, had her computer( mine now) filled with evidence of Lily, her first child. Man, she clearly made the right decision to stay at home with her second. Poor Lily, I wonder if mom is blogging about how deprived her first daughter was and how guilty she is about it. I hope not because then she'll have to blog about not being there for little Hope.
48. Lorie said:
A year already! Happy Birthday, precious girl!
49. Jennifer in Kansas City said:
It is a rite of passage. And one best done with one's shirt OFF, as you wisely did. Can't wait to see ChocoLeta pix! And while it's still early, Happy Birthday Miss Leta. This should be LetaWeek on A&E (and Dooce, too!) Proud parents? You oughta be. yay.
Jennifer in KC
50. RazDreams said:
Note: *All* of Leta's clothes were officially in that big pile next to Dooce's washing machine. The party was actually to accommodate the convenient nakedness! ;-)
51. Elle Wiz said:
Happy early 1st Birthday, sweetest!
52. Tabbie said:
Happy Birthday Leta! Don't worry Heather you can't start feeling old til she wants the car. I'm going to go get an icecream to celebrate!
53. Jodi said:
Happy Birthday Leta!
Being one is great! My son says so. ;)
54. Martha said:
Wow, she's one already? Where did the time go. Happy birfday to Leta!
55. Jess said:
I too am hoping for chocolate smeared Leta pics so please don't disapoint. Happy (early) birthday to you baby. May you have many more years to come.
56. HER said:
I guess asymmetry really is where it's at.
57. shannon c said:
Can I just say what a good idea, removing any clothing that may (will) get chocolate cake smeared all over it?!? Good Mama, good mama. She's turning into a little person right before our very eyes!!! Say it ain't so!!!
58. susanna said:
heather:
enjoy celebrating one whole year of motherhood! leta is a lucky girl. enjoy the second year too. you get to watch even more light bulbs go off.
59. Vicky said:
Happy birthday Leta. Congratulations to mum and dad for making it this far - you've done great :)
60. Dave said:
You know how there is that big debate between "little white" Christmas lights and big horking colored ones? Is there the same debate between little tiny birthday candles and the big giant one that is the numeral of the age in question?
Just wondering,
Karen
61. August95 said:
Happy Birthday Leta.
62. Derek said:
My first post EVER! Just wanted to congratulate Leta for the lovely NYT photo. Nicely done, baby doll....
63. kerrie said:
Ooh, that first birthday cake is a milestone. I tried to make one for Brooke but it all went horribly wrong about an hour before all the kids descended on us and I ended up sending my mum to the bakers with a handful of cash while I had a nervous breakdown in the corner. We're lucky that an August birthday has always meant kids in the garden and not in the house, and after one kid wet himself 4 times in one hour at her 3rd birthday party we decided no more at home. The stress levels are not worth it!!
Leta looks gorgeous, happy almost first birthday..
64. Wicked H said:
Yay for the Birthday girl!!!!
Happy Early Birthday Leta!!
65. Home Detention Lady said:
Go shorty! It's your birfday!
66. l said:
Happy Birthday Leta! Loads of Lurvee xxx
67. figlet said:
you should make this a birthday card you send to your friends. it's THAT charming...
68. terimo said:
Happy almost-first Leta! You are absolutely the cutest baby on the Internet!
69. bird said:
Time really does fly!
Happy early Birthday Leta!
70. cordaisy said:
Happy Birthday, Leta!
71. daveeee said:
Happy 1st Birthday Leta!
72. Kyrrah said:
Awwww,save me a piece of cake!
Happy Birthday for thursday!xx
73. Dana said:
Happy Birthday Leta and many more! You looked great in the Times today!!
74. Mrs.Strizzay said:
That is SO fun!!!!!!
My daughter actually ate her 1st birthday cake with a FORK and made no mess. She just had chocolate lips. I should have known then....
75. LizRM said:
Happy Birthday! Aint it grand? I've so enjoyed hearing your stories and watching Leta grow this past year. I started reading when she was about 3 weeks old.
I read the NYT story online and while the photo is fantastic, I thought the story was shitty.
I regularly read Fussy, LOD, Mimi Smartypants and you and I don't think any of you are, as someone above commented and as the article more than intimated, self-absorbed navel gazers. The article seemed to me like it was desperately casting about for a way to make baby blogs another reason for older parents to feel like they're doing an awful job. "if these jokers would stop worrying about what they're doing wrong they'd stop doing it wrong" QED
Or maybe it's just because I'm a 36 year old mother of a 13 month old and I'm a self-obsessed navel gazer?
76. Carol said:
It's your birthday) so let's party and have some fun
(It's your birthday) we'll dance til the morning comes yeah
(Happy birthday) girl let's step the night away
(Happy birthday) and we're gonna celebrate, yeah
do do do do do do do do do do do...
Oh we'll be laughing and singing and grooving on the way
With smiles upon our face
Nothing but VIP
Darling for you and me
And there's so many dancing feet
Dancing in harmony
Go Leta, it's your birthday!!
77. Jody said:
Happy Birthday, sweet girl!!!
78. Miriam said:
In the thumbnail, the candle looked more like a penis candle than a numeral candle. Or is my mind just in the gutter again?
Go me--you will never think of this photo in the same way again. Ever. (As we speak, God is already preparing to strike me dead for the penis remark.)
79. lulu cornichon said:
It looks like Leta's watching an off-camera Mama do the countdown to cake-pounce.
"Threeeee.... Twooooo..... Onnnnne.... It's CAKE TIME!!!!"
And then the naked chocolate/baby/frosting vortex begins.
Happy Birthday, Leta!
Happy First Year of Parenting, Heather B. and D.J. B.!
Many more for all of you.
80. Colleen from NJ said:
MMMMM, CHOCOLATE. sorry for caps. ran out this am and got hardcopy dose of leta along with my bagels. showed my husband nyt article and even he can recognize leta ... and the big watch.
81. Cristin said:
Happy Happy Birthday
to you to you to you
Happy happy birthday
from mom's groupies to you
Happy happy birthday
MAY ALL OF YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
happy happy birthday
from the internet to you!
(stolen and re-arranged from our local Applebees restaurant)
Happy first birthday Leta (early) and thank you Jon and Heather and Chuck for letting us be a part of it!
82. A N N A said:
go LETA, it's your birfday...
we gonna party like it's your birfday
we gonna sip BOURBON like it's your birfday
and you know, the NYT can go to hell 'cuz it's your birfday!!
:+:
happy first birthday to one of the most beloved babies the world has ever known...(kinda mind-blowing, eh?)
dooce and dj blurb, *thank you* in advance for giving a bunch of strangers an awesome present last year. she's the gift that keeps on giving and we're all grateful that despite trolls, unsolicited advice and scre-heeeaming, you keep sharing. :)
83. Cristin said:
my four year old just came up behind me as I was entering my last, and turned to her sister and screamed "Look Meggy, LETA IS ONE, can you believe it?"
I have created a second generation of dooce-a-holics in my own house.
Does that make me a bad mommy? :-p
lol
84. Aliesha said:
Happy Birthday Leta!!
85. liminalspace said:
dear leta,
happy first birthday. be thankful your parents are not the type to roast a goat for this occasion. mine are, and i don't think i've been the same since.
dear jon & heather,
congratulations! you done real good.
86. Aliesha said:
Oh, my 2 year old Ian just saw her pic and ooo'ed and ahh'ed over her. I think he's got a crush.
87. bk0 said:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LETA!!!
88. Michelle said:
Happy Birthday Leta and Happy Anniversary Heather and Jon you have survived probably the hardest, most sleep deprived year of your life.
I too started reading right before Leta was born and de-lurked shortly after. Everyday your posts make me smile and inspire me. Thank you.
89. Redneck Diva said:
Even though I'm a regular reader, I never comment. I feel like there are just too many of y'all for me to compete. It's some deep-seated psychological to be first or something. I AM a diva ya know.
Anyway, Heather, thank you for sharing your lives with all of blog-dom. You do a fine job of making the rest of us harried, frustrated and overwhelmed mommas feel like we're not alone. You're doing a great job and Leta's lucky to have a momma like you.
Happy birthday you pinchably cute thing, Leta!
90. Em said:
Cuteness, cuteness. And also a BRILLIANT idea to be shirtless before the cake fun began.
Happy Birthday Party to y'all! So glad you survived.
91. Karen said:
Happy birthday, Leta!
92. Gooooder said:
aww good work!
93. Alex said:
The pic of her in the NY Times article is really cute.
94. Anita said:
Dooce--
I have to agree that the NY Times article in and of itself was lame, if not downright off.
Is this the beginning of the backlash in which parents, and mothers in particular, are not supposed to have their own lives? The absolute WORST parent blogs are the ones which focus primarily on what little Sally did today.
And maybe I'm just defensive because my own "mommy blog" focuses on my perspective of being a new mom "of a certain age"--which according to the article makes me too egocentric to be a good mother.
I'm used to having the world focus on me, Me, ME!!!!
Honestly, I do like attention on my blog, but does that make Wonkette or Wil Wheaton dot net selfish and egocentric, too?
Nope, just Mommy backlash...per usual.
95. Ng Wai Mun said:
Happy Birthday, Leta!
96. Fish said:
Re: Your post today. I reiterate my comment from yesterday upon reading the NYT piece:
Fish said at 06:48AM, 01.29.2005:
Fuck Yeah! Parental self absorption! Whoo Hooo! sometimes I forget I even have a kid, I’m so self-absorbed!
I've been waiting for Jesus for a long time baby, bring. it. ON.
97. Fuzzbean said:
HEE! Naked cake baby!
Totally the way to go. Babies are all about the experiential eating (as I'm sure you know), and afterwards you can drop her straight in the tub to get the chocolate out of her ears. How she got chocolate in her ears is just going to have to be one of the great mysteries of our time.
98. LadyBug said:
Happy Birthday Sweet Little Leta!
Such a big girl now...
99. Shann said:
DAAAAAA-MN. I canNOT believe it's already been a year. HOLY COWS.
Happy Birthday, Leta!
100. Dang cold... said:
AAAAWWWWW!!!!
Happy Birthday Leta baby!! Looks like she's raising her arms to quiet the group and begin a speech. Congrats to mom and pop. You did well.
101. dewi said:
I found your blog from the Sunday New York Times article.
I love your bright, smart writing. NYT is wrong; you are not a self-absorbed new type of parent. You seem more like you are trying to live an examined life as a mother. Parenting should be about self-examination and your blog is fascinating. You provided me with a fresh reminder of how hard it is to mother at every stage of our children’s life.
Not to scare you but that cute little child of yours will eventually become your adolescent daughter. Just to give you a heads up for the years to come, teen daughters are infinitely more difficult to live with then any Prada wearing, hand waving wretched ho for a boss! With all your good intentions and thoughtful parenting, they are just waiting to become that wantabe Prada wearing hand waving ho daughter (boss) at 16 years old.
Happy Birth Day to you.
102. Erin said:
Whee!! A birthday for the youngest Armstrong babe!
Congrats to surviving the first one...the next dozen don't come any easier. Why do they have to grow up?!?!?
103. LadyBug said:
Just went to nytimes.com and read the article. What a sweet picture of Leta.
And I forgot to say in my earlier comment --
Congrats to YOU, Dooce, on your first anniversary of being Mama. That first year certainly is a whirlwind, isn't it? Happy We-Made-It-Through-Year-One Day to you and Jon.
104. Michelle said:
I was walking through my house this morning .... and as I looked on the kitchen table at the paper scattered there, a face jumped out a me.. it took a moment to place it but then I realized it was an adorable HUGE picture of Leta... in the NYT. Congratulations and Happy Birthday Leta
105. Patricia said:
Dooce, can you believe it?
Do you realize what's going on?
You made through a year. A WHOLE YEAR. After over three hundred days filled with screams and dirty diapers you are alive. Healthy and happy. And, honestly, I'm SO thankful for that!
I'm so glad to see that everything is truly ok in your house right now. You have an awesome and charming husband, probably the coolest dog on Earth, and the most beautiful baby girl most people have ever seen.
Happy Birthday, Leta!
And congratulations, Heather and Jon!
106. alyssa said:
Aww, happy birthday Leta!
107. Zoot said:
Happy Birthday, Leta.
108. Patricia said:
Dooce, can you believe it?
Do you realize what's going on?
You made through a year. A WHOLE YEAR. After over three hundred days filled with screams and dirty diapers, you are alive. And I'm SO thankful for that.
I'm so glad to see that everything's finally ok in your life. You have a charming husband, probably the coolest dog on Earth, and the most beautiful girl most of us have ever seen.
Happy Birthday, Leta!
And congratulations to Heather and Jon!
Lots of kisses from Brazil
109. hannah said:
happy birthday leta! enjoy!
sadly i had my birthday last week and remained fully clothed. even when the cake appeared. bother all the remaining sober.
110. lisa said:
such a cute baby!! i am a new reader and your stories crack me up! the cake looks wierd,though
111. Patricia said:
The poor updating of my computer made me post twice!
LOL
112. Tracie said:
Happy Birthday Little One....one milestone down- many MANY more to go- Dooce, don't let the 'haters' steal your joy- you have a great husband, a wonderful daughter- and a great dog. Nothing that anyone says or does will ever change the fact that you have all you need. Hope the after-party was mild and restful.
113. Oregon Kim said:
Happy early birthday princess and congratulations to her parents and faithful (except to Emily) dog Chuck for making it an entire year still having hair and tail intact.
114. Anita said:
Dooce,
Feel free to delete this comment if it seems like too much advsertising of another blog on your blog. For some reason (maybe the 2 hour rock and nursing fest that I just went through to get the son to take a nap), I blogged my own reaction to the NY Times article:
http://blogs.salon.com/0002504/2005/01/30.html
No prob if you want to delete this comment.
115. Mary in Sacramento said:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMPRESS LETA!!
No Booh-Bah themed birthay? lol
116. Stephanie said:
OH my! She is almost 1! Happy Birthday Leta cutie PIE!
117. Annejelynn said:
# RazDreams said at 08:36AM, 01.30.2005:
Note: All of Leta’s clothes were officially in that big pile next to Dooce’s washing machine. The party was actually to accommodate the convenient nakedness! ;-)
LMAO LMAO LMAO
Glad to hear the party was a sweet success - no heart attacks were had. Yea!
118. kristine said:
Happy birthday sweet little wee one.
119. Sarcastic Journalist said:
i'm really scared for the day my baby turns one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LETA! Wow...a year, I remember when she was born. It was the first day I read your site. :)
120. Lisa said:
Okay why weren't you the self absorbed when you were writing about paid work, and single life and yada yada? Now when you write about virtually the same thing-your life- only the circumstances have changed- you are self absorbed. I think this whole article was dismissive of women (and Zero Boss) and parenting. At least you had your name spelled right. Two other bloggers didn't. And he didn't take a single sentence from your blog (like he did Melissa's) out of context and totally change it's meaning. You are no different than David Sedaris, Erma Bombeck, Ray Ramano, Bill Cosby or tons of others who use the their family and their life as a creative outlet. Doesn't Mr. Hochman realize no one would read you or the other bloggers if they weren't entertained or enlightend by what you write. I think the article shows the other is jealous of your wide audience, abiltiy to put out what you want without an editor and I think he is sexist.
121. Carolyn said:
Happy Birthday Leta! She sure looks ready to dig in with both hands. I can't wait to see the photos during the party.
I'm also envious of the cake -- my son can't have milk (I so understand the screaming thing, but thankfully can control it with what I give to him, phew) and we haven't even tried eggs. So he'll get some sort of vegan birthday cake and I have no idea if there is vegan frosting. Sigh.
Then again, my birthday is two days after his, so at the party we're doing all family birthdays and *I* get chocolate cake. Which also makes me feel guilty.
Goodness, enough about me -- yeah on Leta being (just about) ONE YEAR OLD.
122. julie said:
Oh no. The minute I saw this pic it seemed strangely familiar. Topless, that innocent look of curiosity...
I thought it was only me that had to suffer through a 1st birthday face-in-the-cake! (Though my actual recollection of it doesn't exist except through a disturbing pictorial archive.)
This must be some tradition I'm not aware of, because none of my siblings or cousins received the same treatment. Perhaps they just were, as they are with many other things, OVER it.
This may be a bad thing, Heather - you don't want to know how I turned out! ;)
I can't wait to see the "after" pic. Happy belated birthday to Leta. A pic in the NYT for your 1st bday - what a fantastic gift!
123. Jack's Mum said:
Relax Lisa. I don't think there needs to be any negativity in the comments today. I know you are trying to be supportive, but don't take things so seriously. Happy Birthday Leta! Enjoy...
124. Torrie said:
I do hope that you post a photo essay from the party- when you are done being self absorbed, of course.
125. Alison said:
Happy Birthday to the little frog princess!
126. Mrs.Strizzay said:
What a long strange year it's been.
127. tk said:
Happy Birthday darling Leta!!!
Congratulations Heather and Jon for getting through your first year of parenting.... Now comes the easy stuff (yeah right!!!)
Looking forward to 'baby smeared in chocolate cake' pictures for the next few days
TK
128. Cauri said:
I'm not even sure you read the comments all the way down at the bottom of the list...but...
Happy early Birthday, Leta!! =)
129. RockStar Mommy said:
Happy birthday Leta! The first is kinda depressing, isn't it? My daughter's second is the day after Leta's first. In fact, her birthday is somewhat opposite of Leta's: 02/04/03
130. Amy said:
Leta looks like she's gonna do a 'raise the roof' dance with her homies.
Happy B-day, Happy 1-year-as-parents anniversary, Happy Everything.
131. Dr. Johnny Fever said:
"Hi, Jesus. Come on in and have some cake. Put Leta's gift over there on the table. Can I take your cross?"
132. Ellen said:
When I visit your site now, I'm bombarded with popups that even my popup blocker can't catch in time. Is this a new arrangement with one of your sponsors?
133. Trance said:
Awwww! Did she mush her face in the cake? Happy early birthday, Leta. Hope you guys had a blast in spite of the home-destroying rugrats.
134. muffy said:
Happy Birthday Little Armstrong!
135. Alena said:
Wow.. she's a year old already??? Craziness!
Happy Birthday, Leeeeeeeeeeta!!!!
136. shy me said:
ooooh! Happy Birthday little darling!
137. Sonja said:
So my stepfather brings me the Style section of the NYT and starts explaining what the article is about when I exclaim "THAT'S LETA!" That's when I had to explain that I'm cooler than anyone thinks, duh.
Happy Birthday Leta!
138. Jaia said:
I think you are so brave for having a big birthday party. I would have been gnashing my teeth and wearing sackcloth & ashes and all that good Biblical freaking out stuff.
The photo reminds me of my little brother's first birthday. We tried to get him to stick his fingers in the cake, and when he finally did, he stared at the frosting on his hand and screamed. Yeah, my family's a little neurotic.
139. Mrs.Strizzay said:
All I know is Jesus *totally* drank. He DID turn water into wine didn't he? So why can't mormons get shitty?
140. wavybrains said:
Happy Birthday Leta--and thank you Dooce for sharing her year with us! Congrats on the NYT article--I didn't think it put you in a bad light at all. Zero-boss, big blog-whore that he is, is crowing about having the lead paragraphs, but I think HE's the one who came off as self-absorbed not you. Thank you for admitting once again the role that the blog played in helping you with depression. I love your honesty.
Happy birthday Leta! And many more!
141. kyllikki said:
firstly: happy birthday, leta--that's a whole hell of a lotta birthday cake--chow down and don't share!
i, too read the article and found it unsatisfactory. many of the conclusions drawn by those who feel these blogs are a narcissistic or an example of overworrying aren't being honest with themselves about the constant tickertape of "oh shit what now?" that ran through their heads when they were parents. time exaggerates time--i think it just seems excessive when details we normally gloss over in our minds are expressed in print. it's okay to have metacognitive abilities--let's have three cheers for the frontal lobe!
142. Jaia said:
kyllikki:
Metacognition! You just made my little psych student's heart leap.
I know I'm lame.
143. Peter Hentges said:
I see Leta's dressed in her birthday suit for the party! Eminitely washable and topical to boot!
144. taryn said:
The picture in the Style section is just the BEST!
You guys came off well in the article. But I don't know why they have to pick on blogging moms/parents. All writers are self-absorbed to a degree (not a bad thing necessarily)... And aren't all bloggers generally self-absorbed? That's kind of what it's all about... I don't see a problem...
145. Linda said:
Happy Birthday Leta!!
146. The Old Broad said:
Delurking just to say:
Happy Birthday, Short Stuff! Enjoy your day!
And thank you, Heather and Jon, for sharing your lives with us!
147. christine said:
Happy Birthday, Leta!
148. Meggan said:
Leta is so cute! Naked babies with cake are funny.
149. kyllikki said:
Jaia--lol
[glad to buzz a word :)]
150. Amanda B. said:
Congrats Dooce on making it through yesterday.
I love this pic, it looks like she's looking up at someone as if to say, "I'm about to grab a couple of handfuls of this cake...Mamma said I could!"
151. Feaverish said:
I just read the piece on you in the Times. Congratulations!! And happy birthday, Leta. Keep those dirty diapers coming.
152. popsicle said:
FIRST ! b.e.a.t.c.h. !
everyone, HEADS UP - refinance your homes, your trailors, your apartments, your boats, your whatever - wherever the fuck it is you live - refinance it, take the dough, slap it on the PATS a week from today.
we have a whole week to get our ducks in a row. line em up. quack quack. i suggest 25% of your annual income in '04. take a chance. take something. they win by 20.
---------------------
------------------------
*anything read here is pure speculation by a man that will be refinancing his house, his boat, his life, his wife - on the PATS -putting the beat down on the lowly team their playing - i think its the eagles, the birds.
there will be no accountability, except for all betters to pay dividends to said individual (me) after you sack up, refinance everything, and enjoy the results...best of luck.
-------------------------------
-----------------------
LLP...Patriots
153. Graygirl said:
ADORABLE!!!!!!
Happy birthday Leta, and congrats to mom and dad...a whole year, WOW!
154. Southern Fried Girl said:
Happy almost birthday, Leta. How cute she is. Y'all are so lucky. :)
155. Roger said:
Oh, I totally heart the font/hand-writing on the cards/paper in the background. Awesome.
156. Avey said:
Been reading since Leta was 4 months old and my little one was a growing stomach bulge! Thanks for all the laughs and an inside scoop to the highs and lows of parenting!
Happy birthday to Leta!
How I have enjoyed watching you grow!
157. April said:
Can't believe she is already a year old... I still remember posts about the belly. Wow.
158. Kassi said:
Chocolate...Heather you ARE brave.
159. Terri said:
You were in the New York Times!?!!?
I saw the picture of Leta and thought, "Hey, wait just a minute I know that baby! Those hands!"
Congratulations! I wish they'd phoneticly spelled "Dooced" as Dueced but other than that it was terrific!!!
160. Andrea in Canada said:
She has this expression like: "it's all mine? I can go for it? I'm going to dive in and it looks like it's ok so...here.i.go...." I hope she enjoyed her cake! Glad you made it through the day! I was SO emotional on both my daughters' first birthdays. I can't wait to see more pictures!
I am so envious by the way of all of you who actually could open up the NYT and see Leta this morning! I saw it online but it would have been great to see it in the actual newspaper!
my husband bought our 16mth old, Jingba...the pink dancing and singing Boobah the other day...it was on sale half price. She was so excited...she wiggles her little butt to the music and holds his hand! Did Leta get any Boobah paraphernalia ?
161. Terri said:
From the NEW YORK TIMES
Heather B. Armstrong of Salt Lake City credits her blog, Dooce.com, with saving her sanity, if not her life. When it began in February 2001, Dooce was a collection of anecdotes about Ms. Armstrong's single life in Los Angeles, with provocative entries like "The Proper Way to Hate a Job" and "Dear Cranky Old Bitch Who Cut in Front of Me at Canter's Deli." After someone sent an unsigned, untraceable e-mail message about Ms. Armstrong's blog to her company's board in 2002, she was promptly dismissed, and "Dooced" entered Urbandictionary.com as a term for "Losing your job for something you wrote in your online blog, journal, Web site, etc."
A year later Ms. Armstrong married, moved back to Utah, gave birth to a daughter, Leta, and was soon after hospitalized for severe postpartum depression. Her moving, confessional entries from that time generated thousands of e-mail messages and, she said, helped speed her recovery.
Now about 40,000 people log on to read about Ms. Armstrong's efforts to break her daughter's binky habit and of her concern about swearing in front of Leta. Like most parent bloggers, Ms. Armstrong steals time at the computer when the child is napping, after the baby sitter arrives and late at night. She said she blogs at least 15 hours a week. "Dooce probably saved my life," she said. "The writing and voice I had let me hold onto part of the original and old Heather, something that being a mother and the depression couldn't take away."
162. Terri said:
PS The picture in the newspaper was adorable! Happy Birthday Leta!
163. cee said:
Ahha, you guys had the good foresight to remove clothing before the ritual eating of the first cake!! hahah! Good memories! What a year!
Happy Birthday, little Leta
=)
164. Mir said:
When Jesus comes knocking, he's gonna be so bummed that he missed the naked cake fest. I suggest offering him some tequila to ease his pain.
165. bb said:
So is this some sort of a joke or something, that there's no more appropriate dress for the 1st birthday than the birthday suit? lol
166. lizpenn said:
Sweet Lord Jesus. I just opened the Sunday Styles section and had the weird experience of seeing the most familiar baby face in my life, a kid I see more than my own nephew -- LETA!!!-- staring out from the paper.
Dooce, that's wonderful that you got the exposure, and Leta (and your hands!) look lovely, but I _completely_ disagree with the article's basic premise, that blogging parents are some kind of attention-seeking, hand-wringing narcissists who are making too big a deal out of the experience of parenting, and that they should just shut up and raise their children. Sure, some blogging parents may fit that mold (just as a certain percentage of non-blogging parents do), but the fact is that no one is reading those people's blogs, because narcissists are BORING. If 40,000 people do log (daily? weekly?) onto this site, it's because they're interested in reading consistently terrific writing by a thoughtful, interesting person with something to say. This website (and Fussy, and Finslippy, and many others -- I don't read all the ones mentioned in the NYT) is successful because it has something to offer that people find funny and meaningful and useful in their lives, not because we love watching strangers gaze at their navels. Is it just me who found the NYT piece kind of misogynistic, and dismissive of both parenting and writing? Sorry for the rant, but really, it bugged me.
167. lizpenn said:
Reading the above comments, I see that many people agree with me -- right on. And by the way: a happy first to Leta!
168. dooce said:
when he was interviewing me, it didn't seem like the article was going to go the way it did. how in the hell are people who write about their kids more self-involved than people who write about co-workers or other people who surround them every day?
i'm used to this, giving an interview and the end result is WAY different than I thought it was going to be.
169. eddo said:
I hope this gets posted right after liz penn from thehighsign.net- I love her website and she is a brilliant writer...
I see the piano in the background there in this photo of Leta and I want Jon to play The Devil in the Wishing Well by Five for Fighting-
Happy Birthday Leta - from Eddo! I can't believe it has been a year already!
Five For Fighting
I met Jane at the center of the earth
It was dark there was dirt all around
But I gather you can figure that
Jane says I'm your body in the night
And I'll lead you where you might find yourself
Better if you follow me
So go right you'll be left at a big hotel
You'll meet the devil at the bottom of a wishing well
You know you better give him something
Give him something good
Like everybody else he's misunderstood
Jane says it's a long way out...
I'm gonna make it out
Cause I'm about her
Jane says, you're as Holy as a ghost,
But who loves you the most, if you offer
I might let you carry me
Jane there's nobody here but yourself
In the end it's the wealth of your spirit
Now hurry up get on with it
I went left I got right at some big hotel
There was a devil at the bottom of the wishing well
He said you better give me something
Give me something good
Like everybody else I'm misunderstood
Jane says it's a long way out
I'm gonna make it out
Cause I'm about
Jane says it's a long way out
I'm gonna make it out
I took a guess and cut a portion out of my heart
He said that's nowhere close enough but it's a damn good start
I wrote the secret that I buried on the wishing well wall
He said I've seen one... it follows that I've seen them all
We spoke of human destination in a perfect world
Derived the nature of the universe (found it unfulfilled)
As I took him in my arms he screamed I'm not insane
I'm just looking for someone to understand my pain...
It's a long way out...
I'm gonna make it out
170. Nancy said:
Happy Birthday Leta! Everyone knows that froggie charms increase exponentially with each cake!
171. eddo said:
I guess my last post was too long, I should have just stuck with Happy Birthday LETA because the computer ate the other one!
Hey Liz! You are awesome, now I have to go to your site and enjoy some of your writing....
172. Annejelynn said:
VOTE DOOCE! -SHE’s GOT 4 BLOGGIES NOMINATIONS! http://2005.bloggies.com/
173. Annejelynn said:
despite the NYT article's sick, distorted twist on blogging mommies... LETA's lil' sweet cheeked face is there for all to see!?! and after ya see a lil' cutie pie like that? ya forget any of the negative gibberish in that article (at least I do)!
Yea! Heather and Lil' Leta!
174. lizpenn said:
hey eddo -- thanks for plug! sorry, no new content for you yet. but soon, i promise.
dooce, i hope you'll address the weirdly dismissive tone of the NYT piece in a future post. i think it's a big question actually ... why is women's experience (particularly parenting) so consistently dismissed, as if , gee, we all know what that is already, no one could possibly have anything new to say about it? i'm thinking about a writing workshop i once took (a useless one) in which the male teacher basically made fun of the fact that every semester he got at least one example of what he called "the abortion story." as if that subject matter wasn't rich enough to have more than one story written about it in the history of the world. i feel the same way about parenting -- it's a totally fascinating and life-changing experience that's been happening in secret, without documentation, since time began, and now that people (particularly women) are starting to finally write about it, we're all supposed to react with a big yawn, like, haven't we heard enough from you mothers now?
175. Katie said:
Wow, it's already been a year? I remember the day she was born (or maybe a few days after considering what you were going through day of) and thinking "Oh yaaa... she's an aquarius."
Anyway, Happy Birthday Leta!
176. Amanda B. said:
If we've learned anything in the past year, it has to be that the media is fucked. There is very little, if any, true "objective" media left. Watching the news or reading the NY Times is like reading "US" magazine. (which i do) You have to take it with a grain of salt, and a sense of humor.
177. Faye said:
Happy Birthday Leta...you are loved by more people than you could possibly ever know.
178. Amy said:
Liz, that is horrifying that your writing teacher would ho-hum about 'the abortion story'! I had an instructor like that once, in a LIFE WRITING CLASS, who said, "Now Ladies, please, we've heard enough birth stories in here to last a lifetime. Write about something ELSE."
It's unbelievable. You bring children into the world and try to raise them to become decent grown-ups, and then some of them 'dis the process. If we don't take an interest in the process, how on earth do we do it right?
Keep writing, mamas. We all need it desperately.
179. brittney said:
I didn't know Leta had a binkie addiction.
180. julied said:
Fantastic picture in the NYT--it's always nice to see someone you recognize ("hey! that baby looks very familiar...") in the paper, especially huge and in color and incredibly cute. Way to be a cultural pioneer, dooce!
181. robin said:
I thought I was smart waiting till the VERY END of the party to eat cake. But you were smart to feed Leta her cake with no shirt on. Damn. I'll have to remember that for next time. :-)
182. Megan said:
Were you so worried Leta would spill on herself that you had her go topless before she ate any chocolate cake?
183. Jenny said:
birthday suit
184. Megan said:
Ok, 90 people said the same thing as I just did. Maybe I should read the comments before I actually comment.
185. Sarah said:
Happy Birthday, Frog Princess!
186. Michelle Brady said:
Heather,
As you celebrate Leta's birthday, today and this week, let it be not just a celebration of her first year of life, but also of yourself. Look at how far you've come, how much you've learned, all the strength you found.
You discovered how hard it is to be someone's mother- her constant companion, her source of entertainment, her solace. You discovered and shared with us something that a lot of women still hide- what it's like to be a mother with a mental illness. It takes all the strain that comes with motherhood and compounds it. I know, because I'm living through it, too.
Your honesty amazes me, and I am so thankful for it, because it helps me (and, I'm sure, a lot of other mothers with small children who read you) be more honest in my own life. Thank you for making me laugh, and cry, and think "Yes! Somebody else GETS IT!"
Happy Leta's First Birthday to you, too. Congratulations on a job well done. May you share many more wonderful and frustrating years with your family, and with us.
187. Jenni said:
I've always had a certain attitude toward birthdays which only became stronger after I had my daughter. I think birthdays should be about the one who did the birthing! I make sure to give my Mom flowers on by birthday... she did the hard part. I hope that your handsome bearded hubby recognizes YOU on Thursday too. (This attitude of mine only seems to reinforce the NYT self-absorbed comment... oh well).
Happy Birthday Leta!
Happy Birthing Day Heather!
188. Ed said:
Is that a Dorito cake?
Because it totally should be.
189. Bec said:
From one birthday girl to another HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS LETA and congrats Heather and Jon for growing her up :)
190. bushra said:
happy happy birthday!
is there an after picture to this....?
191. honestyrain said:
happy birthday Leta!
enjoy your day sweet baby girl!
192. mg2 said:
precious baby, she's growing up so quickly. Thanks for sharing this entire first year with us... I can't wait for the day that we'll see her prom picture up here on the daily photo! Happy Birthday, Leta. You're a special girl!
193. maryse said:
happy birthday little girl. congratulations for making it through the day parents.
194. Anne said:
You're braver than we are! There are certain children we have banned from coming over to our house because they inevitably wreck our furniture - and their parents are oblivious and unapologetic, which is doubly annoying.
195. Lisa said:
Oooohhh.... watch out - next thing you know the Internet Police will be on your case for having an open flame near your little one! Ha Ha! Seriously, thank you for so generously sharing your lives and Happy Birthday to Leta and her parents- that first year goes so fast, doesn't it?
196. Sue From ohio said:
You say it's Leta's birthday
DA DA DA DA DAHHHHHH
It's my birthday on the 23rd, too
DA DA DA DA DAHHHHHHH
You say it's Leta's birthday
DA DA DA DA DAHHHHHHHH
You're going to have a good time.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LETA!!!!
197. Annette said:
Happy Birthday to Leta and Happy First Year Survival to Heather! Looks like she's ready to be washed down, after a dip into the cake : ) What a cutie!
198. GMM said:
I agree with April, I cannot believe she's already a year old! Happy B-day, Leta!
199. Leilia said:
Have watched her grow and followed her progress for the first year of her life. Thankyou for sharing such a wonderful thing with us. Happy Birthday Leta.
Congratulations Jon and Heather! What a beautiful little girl.
200. another mama said:
Happy Birthday, sweet girl!
201. Big Gay Sam said:
Happy Birthday Munchkin! (sorry for the belated birthday wish).
Speaking of the second coming. When I was working on the Navajo Reservation a couple of years ago I was behind this car with a bumper sticker that read:
"Jesus is coming.. look busy!!"
I laughed so hard I had to pull over.
I'm sick like that.
202. Super Turtle Girl said:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOUUU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOUUUU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LEEEEEEETTTAAAA
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
(And many more. On Channel Four. And Frankenstein. On Channel Nine. And Scooby Doo. On Channel Two...)
Oh, I want a piece of that cake...can I have one, huh?
Leta, you are so cute. And one! That's so old!
203. Stefani said:
Best wishes for your birthday, Leta! Hope you had a wonderful party.
204. Renae said:
Wow, I can't believe she's gonna be ONE already!
And that means MY son is gonna be one before I know it.
*dies*
Happy early Birthday, lovely Leta!
And I am waiting for Jesus to knock on my door.
205. mg2 said:
Leta it's your birthday
Happy Birthday, Leta!
Leta it's your birthday
Happy Birthday, Leta!
(any fans of the Simpsons or Michael Jackson know what that's about)
206. abc said:
are those fake silk flowers in the background? awesome. The leta is one and we are glad.
207. melissa said:
Happy first birthday to Leta, the amazing mother who did who birthed her, and (by association) the over-exposure of Janet Jackson's boob. Truly wonderful picture of Leta in the Times this morning, even if the premise of the article was annoying (and it was...oh yes it was...).
208. Susie said:
There probably are parent-bloggers who are self-absorbed. But for most, I suspect blogging is no more evidence of self-absorption than say, taking a nice, long bath; or going to therapy. As Heather has said more than once, this is good for her. What's healthy for mama is healthy for baby. There's no self-absorption in that; everybody wins.
209. brandi r. said:
Happy Birthday Leta! That marks a little over one year that I've been reading this site. How time flies!
210. wixlet said:
happy birthday, leta! too bad your picture was in the ny times in front of a crappity article. may the next time you grace those pages be in front of a less desultory feature.
211. Caroline said:
Yum yum, naked cake.
212. Sara for lack of a better name said:
Happy (almost) one year, Leta! Dooce, I love the giant pan that the cake is setting on - you're clearly one step ahead in trying to mitigate the wreckage.
213. brando said:
wait a second! shouldn't that kid be facing backwards! i hope to god she's at least 40 pounds. it's just not safe, you know, to let kids eat at the table forward facing until they're like 12 or something.
214. Carla Beth said:
I thought the NYT article was spot on, self-absorption and all. But it didn't strike me as being terribly negative. What blog doesn't involve some level of self-absorption? Now that I think about it, the term self-absorbed is rather odd. Who isn't self-absorbed? What blog doesn't go on and on about stuff pertaining to the blogger? Back in my Duran Duran days (I love Simon!) my journals were all about THEM. Now they're about me. Does that mean I'm self-absorbed? Anyway, weird.
215. Jo Ann said:
Birthday wishes from Kansas City Missouri xsmoochxxxx little leta from Aunt JoAnn
216. god said:
My mother used to say "if you're not going to play with your food, eat it!"
I certainly hope that the naked/chocolate/indulgence thing was carried out with the spirit of my mother's words. Here's to Leta, creative things with chocolate, and a family intent on doing my work on Earth. Just don't ask what I have in mind for her 18th.
217. kathe said:
So I opened up my Sunday NY Times and whose heart-breaking beautiful mug is looking out from the Sunday Styles section? Leta, nicely snuggled into the crook of her bloggin' Mom.
And this would happen on the day that Leta's family celebrates her birthday. Coincidence? I think not. Synchronicity is what I'd call it.
So, wishing Leta and her amazing parents synchronicity, happy accidents, and love for many birthdays from this one.
218. Jason and Becky said:
Happy Birthday, Leta. My wife and I found you about a year ago, and read regularly. Our daughter was born a day before Leta, so we have found it really nice to read and sympathize with the familiar development of another new family.
219. Claude said:
I'm jumping on the bandwagon:
Great pic in the Times. The story, not so much. Blogging = catharsis. This is news? That's what mine is about. Except that nobody in my family knows that I keep one; I've got a family fulla technophobes.
Happy Birthday Leta! I haven't been with y'all the whole year, but it's been fun watching such a cute kid get bigger.
Now let's see the Choco-Leta.
220. katie said:
congratulations! you both made it a whole entire year together. no one died! you have all your body parts!
happy birthday, leta, and happy one-year-anniversary-of-all-that-is-chaos, heather.
221. Kari said:
Oh my god you let your naked baby play with candles and fire!? What kind of mother are you?!!!
[That's a joke, peeps.]
222. lauragayle said:
Happy 1st Birthday Leta and here's to Heather for making it too!
LOVED the photo on the front page of the NYT Sunday Styles section. Just loved it! And of course, I LOVE seeing dooce's photos each and every day!
223. psyche said:
I'm sure you'll have a good good life ahead of you Leta, Happy Birthday! :)