September 2006

This is just a random photo taken on 9/27 of Emma Kate in a cute outfit:

 

Kaye (Alison’s sister), Jake (her son), and Megan (her daughter) came in on Friday from Knoxville. The beds were all taken, so they spent Friday night in a hotel in Griffin. Saturday everyone (Kate, Jake, Megan, Terri, Haley, Barbara, Quentin, Alison, Emma Kate, and myself) went to Chick-fil-A for lunch. Since EK’s daddy loves CFA, it was quite appropriate that this was her first restaurant experience!

Once again, I forgot to take photos of the weekend. Sorry about that! Kaye did take photos and as soon as i get them from her, I’ll post them.

Thanks to all of EK’s cousins for coming to visit her. She loves all of you! 

Terri (Alison’s sister) and her daughter Haley came to visit on Monday, September 18. They flew into Knoxville from Fort Collins, Colorado and Alison’s parents drove them down. Haley is the most adorable girl. I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos while they were here. I’m blaming lack of sleep for forgetting to take a single photo! It’s pathetic, I know. If Terri sends any photos, I’ll add them to this post.

Today is Emma Kate’s due date! It’s hard to imagine that she could have still been inside her mommy today. The last 6 weeks have been priceless. Emma Kate has gone from being not that much bigger than my hand to being over 9 pounds. She now has chubby cheeks and fat rolls on her leg. We’re so thankful that she has been so healthy.

As a sidenote, the pediatrician warned us that as her today approached, Emma Kate would get fussier and more demanding. She was right! Over the last few days Emma Kate is sleeping considerably less and she is crying a lot more. I’m not complaining. I’m so grateful that she’s here and that she’s beautiful and that she’s healthy and that she’s mine! I can smile through her crying recognizing the beauty that her life represents.

It was my intention to update Emma Kate’s blog every two or three days. However, last week i failed miserably! One of the golden rules of blogging is to post at regular intervals and not to have large gaps between posts. Forgive me for breaking that rule! Here is my update:

Life is continuing to press on with Emma Kate. She continues to be a bigger joy than any of us could have imagined. Her sleeping habits last week were starting to become more regular and we had a few nights where she would go about 3 hours between feedings without fussing much. This all changed on Tuesday when she wouldn’t go more than 2 hours, and was usually crying way before the 2 hour mark. We took her to the doctor (as explained in my previous post), and the doctor said she might be going through a growth spurt, or might be over-stimulated from our company, or might just be getting more demanding as her original due date approaches (tomorrow!).

Cousin Haley and Aunt Terri from Colorado flew into Knoxville this weekend, and Alison’s parents drove them to our house on Monday. Her parents are staying until this afternoon and Terri & Haley are staying until Sunday. Alison’s other sister, Kaye, and her two kids, Jake & Megan, are driving down tomorrow and staying through Sunday. My cousin Hester and her husband David are driving in from Columbia, SC just to spend Saturday with us. Needless to say, it has been and will continue to be a zoo at our house, but we love seeing all of the family!

OK, I know you’re really just here to see the photos, so I won’t delay them any more. Enjoy!

This will be brief, but I promise a “catch up” post tomorrow with lots of new photos. Today Emma Kate went to the doctor b/c she had been spitting up a lot and she had been much fussier than normal. The doctor says she’s fine. The big news of the day was that she weighed 8lbs 7oz! She’s noticeably heavier and chubbier. I’ll take some new pictures and you’ll see what I mean. Again, new photos are coming soon!

Well hello everyone!  It’s Emma-Kate’s Mommy!  Her Daddy registered me so that I may write on the blog as well.  I’m so excited.  I’ll have to say right away that it probably won’t be as often as her Daddy.  I’m glad he’s keeping everyone so updated!  Emma-Kate and I have been having a great week.  We’re starting to get into a little routine.  It’s still hard because I’m not quite sure when she is going wake up from each little cat nap.  She is the best little baby in the world and as her Daddy has already pointed out….the absolute cutest in the world!  I know she becomes very frustrated because she is already trying to talk to us each day!  She has the cutest expressions and I learn a little more of her personality each day we spend together.  I feel so very blessed to be her Mommy.  God is so good!  I only hope I can be a good Mommy to my sweet little one.  I promise her everyday that I will do my best. 

Yesterday as I watched all of the coverage of the 9/11 anniversary, I thought of how much my life has changed in the past five years.  As many of you know, we had a miscarriage last year around this time and I thought for a very long time that life was never going to be the same.  I think that life became very real to me through that experience and I try not to take anything for granted now.  Who knew that God was preparing little Emma-Kate for me and Bradley even as we suffered through losing our first baby?  She is a little miracle baby and I know she will be a light in this world! 

Emma Kate’s friend Brittain was kind enough to let her use her scales to see how much she weighs late Monday afternoon. The scale measures the same as her doctor’s scale, so we feel good about the accuracy. We talked to Valerie (Brittain’s mom) for a while, stripped EK down to her diaper (which Alison changed to remove the added weight of a wet diaper), and plopped her on the scales. I couldn’t believe it. She is up to 7lbs! Eating every 2-3 hours is paying off. She has gained over a pound since her last doctor’s appointment two weeks ago!

 Thanks Brittain for letting us use your scales! We hope you’ll let us come back in a week or two.