Happy Memorial Day

This weekend Harry, Alaina, and I headed to Wilmington to visit my parents for Memorial weekend. We spent our time relaxing at the house, going to the beach, and eating seafood. It was wonderful.

 Alaina waited a whole 15 seconds before eating her first fistful of sand.

 It was a little windy so Alaina felt the need to hang on to the umbrella. 

 One sandcastle, destroyed!

 Sitting in the water with Harry.

 She loved the ocean here... not so much as we went further out.

 Sleepy eyes.

 She was so tired she put her head down on the beach chair.

 Hanging with grandma getting a bottle. 

Looking very innocent.

Mowing

Today, Harry mowed the lawn and Alaina loved watching him through the glass door. 

(Make sure your volume is turned up, her little excited noises are too cute.)

A Trip to Pinky's

Today, Harry, Alaina, and I made a trip to Pinky's Westside Grill downtown. This is one of our favorite restaurants (for those of you familiar with Charlotte, Pinky's is owned and operated by the former head chef of the Penguin Drive-In). While we were there, Alaina had her first ever french fry... she LOVED it. It was a sweet potato fry so I don't feel too guilty; hey, a girl has to splurge every now and then.

Taste-Testing

Yep, she liked it!

First Timer

Today, Harry and I took Alaina to Jetton Park for a walk and for her first ride in a real swing. She had a blast!

Here we are by the water... she was taking an awesome nap. 

Her face says it all!

8 Months Old!

Today, our little Alaina turned 8 months old! She is getting so big and growing up SO fast!

Current Likes:

crawling!!!, standing (especially in the crib and at the coffee table), pulling up on anything that stands still long enough, peek-a-boo, toast, crunchy snacks, her kitties, remote controls, phones, cameras, bath time, and her pacifier

Current Dislikes:

her car seat (I don't know what that thing did to her), getting out to the tub, being tired, cutting new teeth (she currently has 4)

This picture was taken today as she was crawling all over the living room. She is all over the place and I can tell she is going to get into everything. We love her so much... happy 8 month birthday, sweet baby!

Our Little Jumping Bean

I'm pretty sure this wasn't the intended use for the exersaucer, but it makes Alaina happy so who are we to stop her.

Crawling and Standing!!

A Weekend of Weddings

This weekend, Alaina participated in not one, but two weddings! Of course, we watched the royal wedding on Friday; however, she went to her first wedding on Saturday to watch our friends Katie and Kevin get married. Harry was a groomsman, so Alaina and I were in the audience flying solo. She was on her best behavior and didn't make a peep during the ceremony. She then stole the show after the wedding by simply playing her the grass outside the chapel. 

I know I'm biased, but this is the CUTEST baby ever!

Starting to Crawl!!!

Oh no... it has begun! 

Happy Easter!

Today, we celebrated Easter with an Easter Egg hunt, church, and then lunch with Harry's family. Harry and I really enjoyed showing Alaina how to hunt for Easter Eggs. It was lucky for her that the bunny didn't make the hunt that difficult.

 Most of the eggs were scattered on the living room floor.

 Yay! The Easter Eggs had puffs or yogurt melts inside! 

 Joey thinks this is his Easter basket...

 and Phoebe is convinced the eggs are on the floor so she can bat them around.

 Thankfully, there were some new teething toys in the Easter basket; the Easter Bunny must have talked to the Tooth Fairy and knew that Alaina needed these.

 

Alaina found one of the hidden eggs.

 Woohoo! Two more hidden eggs!

The Easter Bunny also brought Harry a chocolate bunny... his favorite. 

Another Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Today, Alaina got her third tooth! She has been a little fussy all week long (and hasn't wanted to nap... adding to the fussiness) so I was relieved to see the new tooth make its appearance today. The latest edition to her set of chompers is the left upper incisor. She has yet to show it off proudly, I'm guessing it's still a little tender, but I got to finally feel it tonight when I brushed her bottom teeth. I'll post a picture of the newest tooth as soon as I can get a decent one. Until then, enjoy this picture of Alaina in her Beatles onesie with Harry in his Avett Brothers t-shirt.

 

Sometimes, people tell me that Alaina looks like me. When I see a picture of her with Harry, I know that those nice people are lying to me. She is all him and that's just fine with me. 

The Chase

Today, I chased little Alaina around in her walker while she chased Joey. She had been walking up to things and banging on them so that's why I keep saying "bang, bang, bang," in the video. With her hair in the pony tail, it seems like little Miss Pebbles would have preferred "Bam Bam" instead; however, you saw the bed head from this morning so the pony tail was the only way to go... Anyways, enjoy the video. 

Bed Head!

I love spring break. Alaina and I are sleeping in (sort-of) and enjoying our time together.

Happy Palm Sunday

Walking

Woohoo! It is spring break here in Charlotte and that means that I now get to spend 9 whole days, in a row, with my little Alaina. Her wonderful nanny let us borrow the walker that Alaina uses at their house so she can still get some exercise over the break. Alaina is thrilled that she can move around the house; meanwhile, the cats hate (and I mean really hate) that she is more mobile. 

Alaina has already figured out how to get up onto the carpet in our living room from the kitchen. I'm pretty sure that by the end of the 9 days she will have figured out how to get the walker upstairs. Harry and I really need to batten down the hatches!

7 Months Old!

 

Today is Alaina's 7 month birthday! Her first year is flying by. She posed for a few pictures today with one of her newest obsessions... balloons.

Current Likes:

Kitties and Doggies!

Her Sippy Cup

Blocks

Toys that Make Noise

Puffs and Yogurt Melts

Trying to Crawl (She's So Close!)

Current Dislikes:

Getting in her Car Seat

Learning Something New

After about of month of practice, Alaina finally learned how to use a sippy cup! Who would have ever thought drinking from a cup would be an accomplishment. Our little baby is getting so big!

Cute Stuff

I took a couple of videos of Alaina today in her normal routine. The first one is Alaina and Joey's daily reunion. They are both thrilled to see one another when we get home each afternoon; it is so sweet to watch. The second is Alaina playing. She really enjoys banging blocks together and making a mess. I think we are in for some real trouble when she starts crawling and walking. 

Cooper River Bridge Run Weekend

 This past weekend Harry, Alaina, and I went to Charleston to run the Cooper River Bridge Run. This was the 34th annual bridge run and approximately 50,000 people ran it this year. Our friends Joanne, Jessica, Siggy, Liam, and Shannon went along with us. Joanne and Jessica ran the bridge run while Siggy and Shannon took care of babies Liam and Alaina. After the run (no pictures... we decided not to carry a camera on the 6.2 mile run) we all headed downtown for some sight seeing.

Harry, Alaina, and I in front of the US Custom House.

Jessica and I near the port

Joanne, Siggy, Liam, Jessica, Shannon, me, Alaina, and Harry

On Sunday, after a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to Sullivans Island to meet up with some of Harry's friends from high school and to see the beach.