Believe it or not, Emma Kate had another baby shower. It was originally scheduled for the week that Alison ended up going into the hospital. Thanks to all of the people at Sara Harp Minter Elementary for the great gifts and money. They are very much appreciated.

 

Too tired to play on the new Baby Einstein play mat after arriving home:

On Wednesday Donette (my brother’s wife) and her son Jadon drove in from Columbia, SC to spend a few days. It was Jadon’s first time meeting his cousin Emma Kate. Alison, Donette, Jadon, and EK has a great time hanging out while I was at work. On Friday they met at my office and we all went to the airport to pick up Jay (my brother) who was flying in from a Portland business trip. From the airport we drove to Marietta to eat at Pappasito’s. It is a delicious Mexican restaurant! Emma Kate was an angel. I fed her while we were there and Alison held up during much of the meal. EK just looked around staring at every thing. I think she loves getting out and seeing new things.

The 1.5-2 hour ride home wasn’t quite as enjoyable. EK showed off her healthy lungs and vocal chords, while Jay and Donette tried their hardest to soothe her. No such luck!

I do have a few photos of Jadon’s visit, but I don’t have them ready to upload yet. I’ll add them soon!

UPDATE – finally some photos:

From Donette & Jay:

Jadon watching out for Emma Kate:

 

Donette holding Emma Kate & Jadon:

 

Jadon & Emma Kate: 

 

Jadon gives sugar to his cousin Emma Kate:

 

Jadon catches a grasshopper:

 

Alison, Jadon, and EK at  the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House in Griffin (daddy’s favorite!):

 

Emma Kate and mommy in Chick-fil-A: 

Tonight for the first time we gave Emma Kate an ounce of chamomile tea. I had heard before that it was great for colicky babies, but it wasn’t until the pediatrician told us to try it that we actually did.

The result? Emma Kate drank it after eating at 9 and fell asleep right after. She didn’t cry any more! Yay! I don’t know if she was just exausted from crying tonight or if the tea helped, but we’ll definitely try it again when she’s really fussy. I’ll let y’all know if it works.

Long gone are the days of Emma Kate sleeping 20-21 hours per day. In fact, that seems like ages ago. It\’s amazing how much things in such period of time. Before the baby, 7 weeks would go by without any major events. But now, 7 weeks is a lifetime. I\’m not saying that in a bad way. It\’s just wild how different week 1 is from week 2. And how drastic of a change occurs between week 5 and week 7.

Emma Kate went to the doctor on Friday b/c we thought that tummy pains might be causing her crying. She really does seem very uncomfortable a lot of the time. The doctor said he thinks she\’s just collicky. Her neurological system is not as advanced as the rest of her body, so she just cries for no reason.

On Friday she weighed 10 lbs 2 oz and was 21.5 inches long! We figure this is about the size she would have been at birth if she was born on her due date! She\’s already outgrown a ton of outfits in her wardrobe and there were actually some she didn\’t get a chance to wear before it was too late.

Despite the colick, she did start sleeping longer at night this week. Up until Monday, her longest stretch was 4 hours between feedings. On Monday night she slept 5.5 hrs without waking. One night she went 5 hours and another night she went 6 hours! Sadly, the last 3 nights didn\’t have a stretch quite that long, but we\’re hopeful that they will start becoming the norm!

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.