Susan & Brad + 2: 6 Weeks Old

Our little girl turned 6 weeks old yesterday! I would have posted then, but we were a little busy. It also happened to be our first day on our own with Daddy back at work. I was a little nervous to be on my own without his help - I've been spoiled these last 6 weeks. It went very well. We even ventured out to the mall to meet a friend of mine and her baby girl who was born almost exactly 2 weeks after Emma (their due dates were 1 day apart!). It was quite a feat to organize the car seat, stroller, diaper bag, etc. I really amazed myself - you'd be surprised at how heavy some of the "gear" is! Shortly after we got back Brad got home from work and grilled out for dinner. The pictures at the bottom are from that endeavor. He missed his little girl and wouldn't let her go - even to cook!

I had my 6-week check up with my OB on Friday. He was amazed at how well everything has healed. I also had an ultrasound to check on my cyst. Unfortunately, it's the same size that it was before Emma was born. He is certain that surgery is in my near future. I asked if we could wait a little longer to give it more time to shrink and he agreed to one month. At that point, if it's not smaller I'll have laproscopic surgery to remove it. The bad news is that I'll most likely lose my ovary. The good news is that it's outpatient and I'll be home sooner rather than later. Please keep this in your prayers - I'd really like to avoid surgery if at all possible.

Emma's changing on a daily basis. She's started to smile on occasion and is really loving "experimenting" with holding her head up. It's precious to watch her little bobble head when I burp her. Too cute!

We've discovered that she most likely has a milk protein allergy. It's similar to being lactose intolerant, but lactose is a sugar and what she has trouble processing is the protein. It's made for a very fussy, gassy, miserable baby these last few weeks. The solution is for me to cut all dairy out of my diet. You have NO idea how hard that is until you try. Trust me. On the positive side, most babies are able to process it by 6 months, so I can try it again then. I've always said that I'd do anything for my baby - if the last 9 months have proven anything, it's that. I guess it never ends, does it? :)

Emma's been much better since cutting out dairy, but has been a little clingy this morning. I think she's mostly sleepy and it's past nap time. The only way that I could get ready this morning is with her in her sling (picture below). I'd better go - we're off to meet Daddy for lunch and to show Emma off to some of his co-workers!