The Thompsons' Christmas 2010

Harry, Alaina and I had a wonderful Christmas. We woke up at home this Christmas morning and then spent the afternoon with Harry's family. On top of this being Alaina's first Christmas, it was a rare white Christmas in North Carolina.

Alaina after Christmas Eve service at church. She was so good and she looked pretty cute, too. 

Waking up Christmas morning... Alaina always has a hard time waking up in the morning. 

Unwrapping presents from Santa first. 

Yay! Hair bows for Alaina!

Joey and Phoebe must have been good this year, too; Santa brought them toy mice and kitty treats. 

The traditional Huffman Christmas breakfast... coffee cake and coffee.

Harry enjoying his coffee cake with his head lamp (a gift from Santa).

Alaina loved her toys from us: Ella the elephant, a grab-apple, and Thumper. We also started a tradition this year... each Christmas Harry and I will each get Alaina a book that we will read to her before bed. Harry selected "If You Give a Kitten a Cupcake" and I got her "Snowmen at Christmas". We have both read her our books and she seemed to enjoy both. 

My gift from Harry was a hiking baby backpack. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can use it! 

Alaina and her Grandpa and Grandma Thompson. 

Opening more presents with me. 

 

 Alaina and Harry opening one of her favorite gifts. I LOVE her reaction to the book, "Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes".

Alaina playing with her Aunt Laura. 

A very tired Alaina fell asleep on her Grandpa Thompson. 

Alaina and Harry's Grandmother, Mama.

When we returned home, we found our front yard covered in snow. It was beautiful and made Alaina's first Christmas seem magical. 

The view down our street (Harry wanted to prove it was Christmas so you will have to look closely to see the Christmas lights in the distance).

Picture Me Rollin!

Check out what our Little Lady learned to do!

Alaina's Visit with Santa

 Alaina all dressed up to visit Santa. It was cold outside so she decided to wear her new white fleece outfit.

She also rocked her baby Uggs. Underneath those boots are Rudolph socks. 

Alaina and Santa. She looks a little grumpy but she didn't cry so we are calling it a successful trip. 

Santa talking to Alaina. He had to make sure she's been a good girl. We assured him she has been. 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Vacation!

Yay! Vacation has begun!

Alaina's Fashions

 

Alaina's Christmas dress for church this morning (check out those green and red ruffle socks). 

Her lounge wear this afternoon, complete with awesome striped pants and Mary Jane socks.

The feet of her PJs for bedtime tonight. Could those be any cuter?

Playtime

Alaina's Baptism

On Sunday, our beautiful baby girl was baptized. She was very well behaved (she didn't cry even once) and even took a nap right after the baptism. 

Our family picture

Our pastor, Lib, with the family

My Mom and Dad, Weston (our nephew), me, Harry and Alaina, Harry's Mom and Dad, and my sister-in-law Karen

After the baptism, we had a little party at the house. 

 

Harry's sister, Laura, joined us shortly after church (she had to play keyboard for her church's service).

It was a very special day in our baby's life and we really enjoyed it. I'm very thankful for the family that was able to make it to celebrate but we really missed my sister, Martha, and her family who live in Arizona and my brother, Clay, who had just returned from Afghanistan and was working in Indiana.

God bless our little Alaina.

Our Christmas Card

We Made It!

Today was my first day back to work and we both made it through the day. I cried when I was feeding Alaina this morning, the whole way to work, and when one of my best friends, Jessica, asked how I was doing at school; however, I held it together for the rest of the day (or until I got home at least). Alaina, on the other hand, did very little crying today. She had a blast with her nanny, Paula, and Paula's daughter, Emma. She was sleepy today because of the early wake-up but I'm sure she will adjust to the new schedule soon enough. Only 6 more work days until Christmas break; I can't wait.

3 Months Old

Alaina's favorite things to follow, soon!

Not all firsts are good...

 Alaina has her first cold. It all started a few days ago with a slightly fussy baby; I knew what was going on since I was already suffering from a nasty little head cold. Today was not a good day for her. She's having trouble eating because she is so congested. She is also having trouble sleeping and can really only go to sleep after eating. The one nice thing is that means she snuggles up and sleeps on me.

Parkin' it Up

A few days ago, Harry, Alaina, and I went to Jetton Park for a little exercise and to enjoy the beautiful weather.

A view of Lake Norman from the park.

Alaina and I after she woke up from a nap.

Harry and Alaina enjoying a good swing. 

I didn't take this to advertise for Medela (but if they want to buy the print, they can) but I love that Alaina is holding hands when she drinks from a bottle now. It's so darn cute! 

Our baby's profile, I think she is so beautiful!

Yep, we had a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving at our house was the most enjoyable ever. Harry and I hosted for the 6th year and were happy that both sets of our parents and Harry's sister, Laura, were able to make it to dinner. We missed my sister, Martha, and her family as well as my brother, Clay, and his family (but I think that would have been more people than this new mother could handle). We had a great time with all of our family members and our little lady was on her best behavior. 

Alaina and her Grandma Huffman watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions; I'm thrilled I get to share this with Alaina as she grows up).

 

Alaina Playing in her gym.

Alaina, Joey the cat, and I playing in the gym. 

 Alaina and her Grandpa Thompson. Whenever Alaina gets fussy and he is around, he can always get her to go to sleep. She looks pretty comfortable (and adorable).

Snuggle time with my little angel. 

Our feast; the dinner was delicious and Alaina slept through the first half. 

After dinner Alaina played with her Aunt Laura. 

Laura and Harry played Beatles Rock Band while the rest of us watched. Laura was making Alaina laugh while Grandma Thompson played with her.

A family picture; it turned out pretty well considering we were all very tired.

Thankful For...

It's Friday and I haven't posted in a few days so today I'm continuing the "Thankful For" posts. I got the idea from Karen who got the idea from Carrie.

1. Every moment I get with Alaina. This week I counted out when I go back to work; it is sooner (much sooner) than I want.

2. Alaina's nanny when I return to work. She and I spent the day together shopping yesterday with her beautiful daughter and I'm thrilled we chose her to take care of Alaina. When I go back to work, she will be in good hands.

3. Flailing arms and legs. Alaina plays in her gym or new pack and play after each meal (except her 3 AM feeding) and loves it. She is gaining control of her extremities and it is wonderful to watch her grow.

4. Clemson games. Harry and I are going to the game tomorrow (sans baby) and while I'll miss her terribly, I think it will be good for me to be away from her. I should also add I'm thankful for Laura, Harry's sister, because she is babysitting for us.

5. DVR. Daytime T.V. is not very good, at all. With DVR I get to watch all the good evening shows that I can't stay awake for during the day. 

The baby is up and needs to eat, so that is all for today. I guess you could say I am thankful for that last nap so I could get online. :-)

Alaina's Two Month Stats

Alaina had her 2 month check-up today (yep, she got shots... the picture to the left was taken before her doctor's appointment). She was very good for her check-up and cried only a little bit after her shots. Her stats are as follows:

Weight - 12 pounds and 5 ounces (82nd percentile)
Height - 23 inches (67th percentile)
Head Circumference - 16 inches (86th percentile)

She is growing up so quickly!

Not Another Work-Out Video

Aren't you tired of those work-out videos that make you feel bad about yourself because you are watching TV? This is not one of those videos.

Southern Christmas Show

Today, for the first time ever, I went to a Christmas show; not just any Christmas show, but the Southern Christmas Show... the south's premier Christmas show (according to the website). It was a lot of fun to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations and the people watching was out of this world!

 Alaina and I at a decorated doorway. The door was fake, but the greenery was real. And yes, Alaina is wearing a Christmas outfit complete with a tutu!

 Joanne and Alaina at one of the thousands of decorated trees. I can't even imagine how long it took to set up all the decorations (and I don't want to imagine how long it will take to take them all down, my least favorite part of Christmas).

Alaina, looking cute as ever, had such a good time that she passed out.

Finally, a short video a Alaina working off some of her energy after we got home (she spent a lot of time in her car seat).