The Davis Family Blog: Ella Kate- 2 Months

Time is surely flying by. It's hard to believe we now have a two month old!!

This past month, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 18th at my grandma "Maw's" house. Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 21st, we traveled to Winchester, Kentucky to spend Ella Kate's first Thanksgiving with Hunter's grandparents- Nan & Pop. It felt like we had to pack our whole house! I think I did pretty good packing for our first trip- the only thing I forgot was a bottle brush and baby dishwashing soap for her bottles. :) We were so proud of how well Ella Kate traveled. It usually takes us about nine hours to get to Nan & Pop's house, but on this trip it took about 12 hours with all of the traffic and stopping to feed EK. She only cried about five minutes the whole trip and that was when we were about 30 minutes away from Nan & Pop's house. We arrived at their house around 9:00 p.m. and of course, Nan & Pop loved on Ella Kate right away. We spent a little time with them before going to the hotel where we set up our room for EK! Let's just say after this trip Hunter is a pro at putting together and taking down a pack-n-play. On Thursday, November 22nd, we celebrated Thanksgiving at Nan & Pop's house. Ella Kate wore her cute little turkey onesie with her name on it. She enjoyed eating the ribbon feathers on her outfit. And she also wore her first pair of skinny jeans. :) She didn't get any turkey this Thanksgiving but she did enjoy taking a nap after getting her belly full! Hunter and I also went to the movies with Sarah Thanksgiving night while EK stayed with Nan, Pop, her Grandpa Allan, and KK. On Friday, we took Ella Kate to Keeneland. We bought her a cute little jockey outfit ornament for her tree and an outfit for her to wear when she gets a little bigger. We hope to be able to take her to the horse races there one day. They are so fun! After we left Keeneland, we went shopping at the mall in Lexington. Santa bought EK lots of goodies there! After an afternoon of shopping, we went out to eat then back to the hotel to get packed up for the trip home. We left on Saturday, Nov. 24th and let's just say that we literally had to sit on top of things. There was NO room in my car! On the way home, we stopped for more shopping at the outlets and at the Shoppes at River Crossing in Macon. I just can't resist buying for my sweet girl and I needed some new things, too, after having EK. We finally got home around 11:00 on Saturday night and we were TIRED to say the least.

The next few days at home were spent decorating for Christmas. My mom came over and helped me with the trees and Hunter helped with the rest of the decorations around the house. I LOVE CHRISTMAS and get a little carried away with buying Christmas decor- I can't resist. Ella Kate's tree is decorated with gingerbread girl ornaments and other special ornaments we have bought her. She's received lots of cute little ornaments as gifts that also adorn her tree. Each one is very special to us. She has two cute green and pink sparkly trees on her hutch that I love as well.

The week after Thanksgiving was my last week home with Ella Kate. I tried to savor every little moment. My favorite part of that week was our family date on Thursday, November 29th. Hunter and EK went with me to my hair appointment. Then we went to Statesboro to paint pottery. We made a cute Christmas plate to display and an ornament for each of her grandparents' trees. We also did some more "Santa" shopping at Little Doses. When Sunday, December 2nd came, I couldn't stop crying. It was so hard to think about being away from my baby all day. I cried myself to sleep. Monday morning wasn't any better. I cried and cried as I was holding her before I left for work. My co-workers could just look at me and it would bring me to tears- 3:30 Monday afternoon could not come fast enough. Everyone told me it would get easier and it somewhat has but I miss her so much during the day. Thank goodness I have a job that keeps me super busy all day. On my first day back at work, Hunter and EK sent me some flowers to school to cheer me up. EK wrote me the sweetest note. But, that just made me cry even more. I have the sweetest, most thoughtful husband! Tuesday was better- I still cried- but it was better. We are so thankful that we do not have to take EK to daycare and that my mom is able to keep her for us. I get lots of pictures of EK throughout the day at her grandma's house!

Our Morning Routine: I usually get up around 5:50 and get a bath. When I get out, I wake up Hunter so that he can get ready. Ella Kate usually sleeps through all of this (even the sound of the hairdryer). When I finish getting ready, I rock EK in her nursery for about 10-15 minutes while Hunter loads his truck with the nap nanny, diaper bag, and bottles. This is one of my favorite times with EK! We leave at the same time- I head to work and Hunter takes EK to her grandma's. She usually gets there around 7:45 and I pick her up between 3:45 and 4:00.

Ella Kate is beginning to get a personality. My last week home with her is when it really began to show. She loves to stick out her tongue and smile. She is able to lift her head and look around when we hold her upright. She is staying awake for longer periods during the day and is becoming much more alert. When I held her this past Monday morning, I noticed her following Hunter with her eyes as he left the room. She LOVES to have her diaper changed. She will lay on her changing pad and give us the biggest smiles. Some days she likes her baths and other days they make her cry. She still balls up her fists while we bathe her. She lifts her leg to pass gas (which we think is hilarious)! She has started liking her swing a little more and loves to stare at the mobile of birds on it. She even tries to reach for them. I also caught her trying to grasp her Wubbanub that was laying in her lap on the way home from picking her up this past Monday. She just couldn't quite figure it out! She also likes to stare at the ceiling fan and the Christmas tree. Ella Kate eats about every 3-4 hours. She sleeps through the night and has been since about a month old. She only gets up for one feeding during the night. We are no longer breast feeding. There was just no way I would have time to pump at school. But at least we did it for over a month! Ella Kate is changing so much and we are loving every minute of it!

Ella Kate had her two-month check-up on Thursday, December 13th. She weighed 11 lbs., 4 oz. and was 23 1/4 inches long. Dr. Perkins said she was a beautiful, healthy girl! We were proud to tell her that Ella Kate slept through the night for the first time the night before: 12-12-12! Guess that date is lucky after all! She got her shots right before we left. She had some vaccines through oral drops and then they had to give three shots in the top of her thigh. Hunter and I couldn't stand to see her cry so hard. It broke both of our hearts. I cried watching it and Hunter even teared up. Glad that's over!

We are looking forward to Christmas in a little over a week with our sweet girl. Little ones make the holidays so much fun! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Below are various pictures we have taken since my last post and pictures of a few gifts Ella Kate has received. We are so blessed.