Dear Emily Grace

Dear Emily Grace,

Welcome to the world little Emily Grace! I can’t believe you are already one week old!!! You were born 9/8/11 at 9:40 pm. You were 20.47 inches long and weighed 7 lbs 8 oz. (Here in England, they say you were 52 centimeters long and weighed 3400 grams!) You arrived 12 days late! You sure did keep us waiting! Daddy says you are stubborn just like your mommy! :-)

Mommy went to the hospital to be induced on Tuesday evening, September 6th. After almost 48 hours of labor, they decided we had to have a c-section because I wasn’t progressing fast enough. The surgeon later told us it was a good thing we had a c-section. You were “star-gazing” (facing up) which would have made for a difficult birth, plus you still weren’t down far enough! I guess you just really didn’t want to arrive yet! Daddy and I were very disappointed about the c-section, but the second we heard you crying, it was all ok! You screamed instantly when they pulled you out! You cried and yelled for a good 15 minutes straight! It was music to my ears! Happy tears just rolled down my face when I heard you crying! Daddy got to cut your umbilical cord and watch while the pediatrition got you all cleaned up. One of the surgeons offered to take pictures for us…our first family picture! I love it!

We spent the next two days in Ward 22 of the hospital, recovering with other new moms and babies. I admit, that was rough! We didn’t get much sleep!!!! We were sharing a room with 3 others moms and their babies. One mommy had twins! So with 5 babies in the room, you all kept waking each other up! The midwives were very nice to us though. They helped me learn how to properly feed you and they were good about helping me pick you up since I was recovering from surgery. Daddy wasn’t allowed to stay the night, but was there all day with us! It was very hard on Daddy to leave at night, but luckily we live on hospital grounds, so he could get back quickly each morning!

We got to come home Saturday afternoon, September 10th. Daddy was so proud to carry you out of that hospital! They almost didn’t let us leave with you though! They insisted that we have a stroller or car seat. They said that it’s against hospital policy to walk out carrying a baby. We do not have a stroller and we do not have a car, so definitely don’t have a car seat! They finally agreed to let us use our baby carrier for you! You are still way too small for it, so that was interesting! Daddy had to tilt it way forward to support you. People couldn’t even see that you were in there because you were so tiny! It looked funny!

We have really enjoyed having you at home with us!!!! You are seriously the sweetest little thing ever! Daddy and I are constantly kissing you and telling you we love you! I still have a hard time believing that you are really ours! We get to keep you!!!!! Wow it’s just incredible!!! You are perfect in every way! I could stare at you for hours and be totally content! I love listening to your funny little noises. Sometimes you squeal like a guinea pig! You always keep your little hands up by your face! We think you were that way inside me, so that's the only way that feels comfortable to you! :-)

You have already changed a lot in one week! You are lifting your head up off of our shoulders all the time! That is great!!! You are also very attentive. You just stare at us when we are talking to you! You really like to sit in your little bouncy seat and stare at the toys. A few times when you stretched out your arms, you managed to hit the toys that hang above you. I bet it won’t be long before you are hitting them more often! You love to suck on your hands! You found your thumb yesterday and sucked on it for a long time! It was really cute!!!! You also LOVE your Wubbanub dummy (pacifier). They have funny names for things in England don’t they? The Wubbanub is super cute. The pacifier part is attached to a little pink pony that sits on your chest. It is meant to help the pacifier stay in place better for newborns. It is very cute!

You absolutely hate to have your dirty nappies (diapers) changed! You cry so much during that time, but as soon as we finish, you stop crying and are perfectly content again! It is so funny! You also cry a lot when you are windy (pass gas). You hate that feeling! You must really like to wee (pee) when your diaper is off! You have done that to me 4 times already! You never do it when Daddy is changing your diaper though! He thinks that is funny! You always sneeze on Daddy though when he leans down close to your face. You haven’t done that to me, so I think that is funny!! :-)

You have a very unique cry. It sounds like you are saying “nah, nah, nah” over and over instead of “wah.” It is adorable! I admit it isn’t so cute though when you are crying and screaming in the middle of the night. You have your days and nights confused!!!! You typically sleep from 4am till close to noon. (You wake up for feedings of course, but those are your favorite sleeping hours.) That would be 10pm till 6am in the United States, so we joke that you are on US time! I hope you will adjust those hours soon!!!!

Sweet little Emily, you have already completely changed our lives. I can’t imagine life without you! We love you so very much!!!!!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy