We survived the weekend

Whew. That is all I have to say.

No, really, I have a lot to say. We left for Alabaster Thursday after I got home from work, so we did not get in until after dinner time. We stayed up too late visiting with MeMe and Hoppy, but that was okay! The next morning, EK and I traveled to Mtn. Brook for the bridesmaids' luncheon and it was great. EK warmed up to the bridal party, put on a show and fell in love with her partner-flower-girl, Ashley. She was slightly confused about the bride being Ashley, the other flower girl being Ashley and her sissy being Ashley, but she managed. (She kept thinking sissy was going to walk down the aisle with her.) Anyway, Ashley tried on her flower girl dress and much to my relief it fit, except for a small alteration I had to make in the arms.

We headed over to Mountain Brook Club to visit MeMe at work an then back to the house. EK was dying to go swimming, so she and I headed for Hoppy's pool. We had a great time and I took her in to get a shower and nap before the Rehearsal.

Mike grabbed some Swimmer's Ear to put in her ears after her shower. He put some drops in the left ear and she was fine. When she leaned over for him to do the right ear, my mother's intuition crept in and I watched the drop-laced with alcohol--fall in slow motion into my baby's ear. The minute it hit the ear canal, Emma Kate grabbed her ear and screamed like she had just been stabbed in the ear.

See, EK may be a wild child, but she doesn't cry much. She never complains of being sick or hurting so we never know, outside of the occasional fever, that she is ill. She is super-tough and if she gets hurt playing or falls down on the concrete, she simply declares that she has a boo-boo, requests a bandaid and moves on. So, right away I knew this was more than a little alcohol sting. She cried in PAIN--grunting and holding her ear--wanting to be consoled (unlike her)--for forty-five minutes until she eventually CRIED HERSELF TO SLEEP. Another first for Emma Kate.

Keep in mind that we are 30 minutes away from needing to leave the house and head over to American Village for the Rehearsal. I was stressed.

I called our pediatrician who explained that they, too, felt is was serious and that we needed to give her a heaping dose of Tylenol and watch her closely. If she continued to complain we needed to go to after-hours in Bham. Stress X 2.

So, when she groggily woke up from her mini-coma, she said her ear was indeed hurting and began to cry again. Mike dosed her up with some Tylenol and luckily, once it kicked in, she was well enough to head out the door.

She ate up the sympathy at the rehearsal, but did a good job walking the aisle with Ashley and was doing a great job of being a cutie-patootie. We were aware after the rehearsal that she would not last the ceremony at the alter, so I was placed strategically near the bride's family so that I could catch her on Saturday when she made her bolt back down the aisle in the middle of the "I do's."Daddy and Ek pet the horses at the rehearsal dinner

Saturday we had to be at the church at 2:00 to begin pictures. She did well for afternoon pictures, but as the day wore on I could see that the excitement and heat were wearing her down. Her ear did not hurt anymore, but it was oozing, so I knew a Monday doc visit was in the works.

As 6:00 approached, I could tell the Mrs. Hyde version of EK was starting to shine through I and I was stressed X3 that the ceremony was going to be a disaster.

I left the bridal party at 5:50 and left EK in the hands of some very capable early education majors. I watched from my seat as each bridesmaid made their way down the as isle. I reached for my camera to video the event that was about to take place, however, it was dead. How ridiculous. My camera never dies and it is dead right as my daughter begins to take her first steps down the aisle. Boo.

Ashley and Emma Kate begin to walk past the rows of people ----and four steps in EK freezes. Ashely continues to head down the aisle, until she makes eye contact with her own mother who told her--with her eyes alone--that she'd better go back and get EK or there would be no cake for her at the reception--which she did.

She walked back, grabbed EK's hand and they proceeded to finish their walk as flower girls. I could tell right away the EK was looking for me and I tried to hide at first. She made it up to where the bridal party was standing, but looked right up at me and said....

"Hey mommy."

Everyone chuckled and luckily the wedding director was waiting to see what she was going to do before she opened the door for the bride.

Then EK said "Hey mommy, I wanna sit wit' you mommy, right 'dere," and she pointed her precious little painted fingernails at me. So I quickly got up, grabbed her hand and sat her in my lap. Just as we sat, Trumpet Voluntary began and the bride's beautiful mother stood. No harm, no foul. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW.

Emma Kate sat like an angel in my lap through the entire ceremony and we didn't even have to use our pre-developed escape plan, which was Mike sitting near the side door ready for a pass-off.

After the 6:00 wedding, however, EK was done. She would have nothing to do with after-wedding pictures and just wanted to see MeMe and Hoppy. We made a quick jolt over to the reception hall, grabbed a quick bite of food and a glass (or two) of wine and headed home before they cut the cake.

The wedding was beautiful. The bride, the chapel, the reception--all perfect. The photographer was great and she took lots of shots through the day of EK, so I will post those as soon as I get them.

All and all it was a great weekend and now we look forward to Wednesday night when we head to Daytona to see Ashley Fay dance in her national competition and then BRING HER HOME WITH US!!! Yay!!!!