Where did this past week go? It went by so quickly! Lauren has had a great week visiting with family and friends and is growing super fast! We weighed her on our home scales on 7/29 and she weighed 10 lb 13 oz!
We started our week with a trip to Crystal Lake to meet Grandma, Austin, Isaac, and Ethan. Eric had the day off, so we enjoyed the day at our favorite place on Earth. Grandma, Lauren and I sat on the porch and watched all the boys play in the water. It was a nice day except that it rained off and on. Our family pictures scheduled outside with Aunt Kim that day had to be post-poned because of the weather, but hopefully we will get to have our photo session next week.
We started our week with a trip to Crystal Lake to meet Grandma, Austin, Isaac, and Ethan. Eric had the day off, so we enjoyed the day at our favorite place on Earth. Grandma, Lauren and I sat on the porch and watched all the boys play in the water. It was a nice day except that it rained off and on. Our family pictures scheduled outside with Aunt Kim that day had to be post-poned because of the weather, but hopefully we will get to have our photo session next week.
On Wednesday, we had a day-long visit with Ganny and Grandaddy. The 4 of us went to Outlaw BBQ and then spent the afternoon visiting and looking at Lauren. They "babysat" while I got a few things done around the house to get ready for the Ticola's visit. I read recently that babies at this age may start to enjoy looking at lights and moving objects, so I bought Lauren a play mat that has lights and plays songs. She absolutely loves it and seems to really watch the toys above her. There is a little lever that when you push it down a little bird pops out and the music and light show start to play. I am truly convinced that Lauren will purposely push it when she wants the music to restart. Can she already be smart at 5 weeks old? :-) Eric thinks that she is just making spastic movements with her arms and has nothing to do with cognition. We'll see!
Thursday night, Lauren had spend-the-night company as Mama Lee came and stayed with us. We had another funeral in our family here in Panama City this week. Uncle L.T Lane passed away and joined Aunt Lizzie at his new Home in Heaven. Eric, Lauren and I went to the visitation and then came home and met Mama Lee. Lauren was a little fussy and didn't get to visit too much with her great-grandmother. She has started to be a bit irritable late in the evening and does not want to be held. So, we all just sat and watched her lay on her play mat and marvel and how intelligent she was to hit the little lever. :-)
I finally bought Lauren an attachment for her car seat that helps to keep her head up-right instead of having it plop over to the side when she falls asleep. She looks incredibly scrunched into her seat, but it is working great.
When we go out and about, I've started to carry a bottle of Similac formula just in case we need it in an emergency if I can't nurse her easily. She gulps down the bottle so fast! There is definitely no confusion with the bottle and transitioning back to nursing with me, so this is really great. We just have to be careful to let her burp every 1-2 ounces, otherwise she will vomit out her nose and mouth! Poor baby! She can drink 4-5 ounces at a time and get it done in less than 5 minutes! Speedy Lauren!
On Friday, Gigi came for her weekly visit and we went to eat lunch at Another Broken Egg Restaurant at the beach and ran errands. She loves to ride in the stroller and usually stays asleep. She slept 5 hours during our errands and lunch and was a great baby all afternoon.
Matt and Daphne Ticola came for a visit Saturday through Tuesday. They drove all the way from Greenville, SC. We were so excited to see them and meet their newest addition, Joel, who is 6 months old. He and his 23 month old brother Evan are absolutely adorable and such good little boys. Joel is a great baby and is so laid back. He has the prettiest eyes! Evan is developing a great little personality all his own and he, and his brother, are so happy! They smile all the time. Sunday was a fishing day for Eric and Matt, but unfortunately the boat broke down while they were fishing in the bay. First time the boat has ever stopped working in the 4 1/2 years we've had it. I felt so bad for Matt because I wanted him to have a fun time fishing. They did catch a keeper Redfish though and we enjoyed eating it with steak for dinner. We took them to Rosemary Beach Sunday afternoon to walk on the beach and enjoy the Gulf. Daphne and I nursed our little babies sitting on the sand while Matt and Eric occupied Evan and worked on his fear of the sand! Rosemary is one of my favorite beach villages and I had a good time walking around with the Ticola's. The weather was great: not too hot with a slight breeze and we got to see a pretty sunset.
One night, we all went to the Shrimp Boat for dinner: "Yes, we need a table for 4 adults and 3 babies, please." Ha! We ate with all of the retirees and other families with children who had the same idea as us at 4:45pm. The kids were great! Joel and Lauren slept while Evan ate all the fried batter off the calamari. :-)
While they were here, Evan had his first trip to the dentist at Eric's office. A lap exam, to be exact, done by Dr. Ticola and Dr. Berry. I don't think he liked it too much because when they put him down after the exam, he started running towards the door and saying "I go, I go!" Maybe next year will be better.
Thank you Matt and Daphne for driving all the way from South Carolina to meet Lauren. You guys are the best. We miss you already.
We will be getting ready for our next house guests: The Bongiorno's! We can't wait for next weekend!
