Merry Christmas 2010!

...and merry it certainly was!

So, there will be no paragraphs of text in this blog post to capture Kinsley's first Christmas...just photos...and I do mean lots of photos.

After all, a picture says a thousand words...right? Absolutely...

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Our best present this year was just having our precious girl here.

So, just put a bow on her...that's all we needed...

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Our Christmas 2010 started off on Christmas Eve at Philip's parents house with Christmas Eve church service, an amazing dinner, and Santa's arrival later that night...

Yep, Santa came...

Ready for Santa!

Kinsley's very own "lap top"... so she won't try to bang on mine when I work from home. :)

Peeking out from under her new set of books.

Mommy caught in a this-is-too-many-toys-where-are-we-going-store-all-of-these-when-we-get-home moment...and wearing a new necklace from Kelly...no, I don't typically wear pearls with my PJ's.

Yes, Santa was good to daddy as well...

Oh, we had to grab this no-make-up, still-in-our-pajamas, Phil-in-his-Santa-hat, good-ol'-fashion-family-Christmas photo!

My beautful family, caught in an all-too-familiar moment: daddy feeding his baby girl and Hunter by their side. I love my life.

Aunt Kelly's gift to Kinsley: her first set of Christmas Eve PJ's!

Kinsley playing with Aunt Kelly and her new phone...a perfect gift for my chatty baby girl!

Smiling with her Pop! Yep, she knows its Christmas!

Kinsley with her Pop and May-May!

A final family pic!

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And then it was off to my parent's house for more family, more food, more celebrating, more presents, and what we referred to as Christmas Part II:

Kinsley with her Papa by the tree!

Opening presents with Beebee and Papa!

Kinsley's Uncle D and Aunt Ang! This will go down in our books as "the Christmas that we all thought wrong about each other." Heehee...

And let me further explain this photo (if you know my brother, then there is no explanation needed). This is one of his infamous expressions...and the rule is: if he smiles like this in a photo, then I have permission to publish it. :)

Philip was putting together toys as fast as Kinsley could get them open!

The end result: her new motorcycle / car / bike? Well, it has a steering wheel...

This is FUN!

As predicted, Kinsley LOVED all of the colorful wrapping paper...sometimes, more than the toys inside!

Okay, too much stimulation? Ready for a nap?

This priceless expression sums up our Christmas: the pure joy that can only be seen through a child's eyes.

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And to top off everything: Atlanta's first White Christmas in over 100 years.

P-e-r-f-e-c-t.

Merry Christmas 2010 from our family to yours...

The Today Show!

Here are a couple of photos to capture my amazing trip to NY this past week. I was offered the incredible opportunity of representing my company during a live, on-air spot on The Today Show! It was one of my most memorable experiences...something that I never thought I would ever do, but it was amazing!!!

Here's a link to the clip:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/40767075#40767075

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NYC from the air. No matter how many times I fly to this city, I am always amazed at how big it is.

Rockafeller Center at Christmas. Beautiful!

With my sis-in-law Jenn who met me up in NY Monday night!

Ready for tomorrow morning!

Just arrived!

The earlier Today Show wrapping-up outside, and getting ready to start the segment with Kathie Lee and Hoda inside the studio.

Grabbing a photo with Santa in the greenroom...I put in a good word for Kinsley with him. :)

The TV in the greenroom...hard to believe I would be out there with them soon!

Getting mike'd.

Almost time!

KL and Hoda finishing up the segment with Giada before it would be my turn to hop on stage!

All of the PR firm girls with our "I LOVE GOODY" signs! So great!

Chatting before we went on LIVE!

It's show time!

Outside NBC studios before hopping in my car and heading to the airport! What an amazing experience!

The "Official" Santa photo just arrived..

...and here it is!

You may recall from my previous blog post that I mentioned Kinsley wasn't too sure about the whole experience...well, that little face says it all.

Merry Christmas 2010!

It's The Most.Wonderful Time.Of The Year...

A sneak peek at the past week full of fun Christmas preparations...

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Daddy did a little shopping for his baby girl at REI one day.

The result? The cutest little snow bunny ever.

Daddy and his girl! Ready for the snow......flurries???

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Kinsley absolutely loves Christmas lights, so this year we had a little extra help when it came to decorating the tree...

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We added a 4th stocking this year...what a blessing.

Hunter is right at home lounging by the fireplace during this cold weather.

I know what you're thinking...Hunter has a tough life.

He's such a good dog.

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On our way into Phipps Plaza to meet the real Santa for the first time!

Our only family photo of the day while waiting in line.

And Kinsley was already looking a little apprehensive...

Almost there! Ready to meet Santa!

I tried to sneak this photo in at the last minute (no flash was allowed, so it's a little blurry...but the official photo from Phipps is being sent to us soon).

As you can tell, she was not so sure about this experience...

On the way home from meeting Santa and and early dinner out - no more tears, a pink little nose from the cold weather, and her priceless one-tooth smile!

It was a good 31st birthday for mommy!

3/4 of a Year...

Yep, nine months...already. Kinsley turned 9 months on Saturday, and there are so many fun things that she is doing right now...where to begin...

In November, we left the Goddard School and transitioned Kinsley to an in-home care in Dunwoody with Ms. Becky three days a week. And nope, I am not part-time, so the other two days a week are split between her Bee-Bee on Mondays and May-May on Tuesdays. We are sooo blessed. So far, things have been wonderful. Change can be a little unsettling, but so far this change has been the right decision! In fact, we hadn't been to the pediatrician since October...that is, until last week. But it's cold season, so oh well...couldn't stay well forever. Kinsley is in a warm, loving home, and is part of what we refer to as "the girls club"...4-5 girls, ranging in age from Kinsley being the youngest up to 6 years old. Kins smiles everytime we go over there and I think she is making some great new girlfriends in the process...and learning from them as well. They all talk and laugh and play around her...and she loves watching them. This was a huge change in routine for us throughout this last month, but so far it is going oh so well!


We have her official 9mo check-up later this month, so no "stats" yet..but when we went to the pediatrician last week for the ear infections & cold, she was 19 lbs 6 oz with clothes on...wow. Big girl!


Here are some other things that I have taken note of...a few of Kinsley's new favorites at 9 months:

• Teething: Kinsley finally got that first "phantom" tooth (we had been waiting on that tooth for a while...she's been teething since August) on December 2nd...I picked her up after work, we were playing at home before dinner (her upside-down tickle game), and there it was, had just broken the surface. We see a little bit more of that tooth everyday...and a little less sleep every night.

• And speaking of teeth: she loves her RazBerry Teether - seriously, this thing is so awesome...what's not to like about hands-free teething that looks like a yummy raspberry and a pacifier?

• Being in our arms. What can I say...she is a cuddle-bug and just loves to be held. And when not being held, she loves to just play. All the time. The game ahhh-booo is a favorite (a.k.a. "peekaboo")...see previous blog post for clarification...and LOTS of baby laughter...

• Naptime: her 30 minute cat naps...she's the queen of taking short little bursts of naps and then begin ready to go! But boy, can mommy get a lot done on the weekends during one of her rare 1.5 hour naps! I have also tried to get in the habit on Saturday or Sunday to just let her sleep on top of my chest in our chair in the den for at least one of her longer naps. It "forces" me to just stop and relax, and she actually sleeps really hard...just like she used to when she was a baby....her head right over my heart. Both of our chests rising and falling as we breathe. It is pure peace...

• Leaning back on our laps to look upside down, and then being tickled...under the neck and on her thighs...those seem to be the two most ticklish spots for now. Oh how I love when she gets to giggling...

• Talking: "da-da"..." ra-ra" ... "ga-ga" ... "ba-ba"...and sometimes even growling...like a little tiger cub. Here's an example of her chatting up a storm one day...I think that we are going to have quite the talker on our hands...

• Music: she loves music. And when mommy and daddy start dancing in some overly-silly manner to this music, she just likes it even more! Our favorite right now is the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack...it's basically on constant repeat...but it's only once a year, so 'tis the season!

• When Kinsley wants to get from Point A to Point B...she...rolls. Crawling seems to frustrate her, so she just starts rolling. It sounds crazy, until my mom reminded me that I did the very same thing when I was her age. Never crawled. Just rolled and rolled, and then one day I pulled up to stand, and started walking shortly after. Maybe that trait is passed down from generation to generation??? We shall see...

• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Baby Einstein. She doesn't watch anything else...honestly, because most of the newer cartoons on TV today are, well, just plain weird. But she can be in the fussiest mood, and either of these fantastic pieces of children's material will bring out her biggest smile! Gotta love Disney...

• Her new rubber-duckie bathtub...this thing is awesome. In fact, the week that we ordered it, I saw two other friends on Facebook post photos of their little one's in the same tub! It has become a new "must have."

So much to look forward to this December before Christmas! Going to see Santa, holiday parties, trying to do lots of last minute shopping (oops!), first Christmas Eve church service, and mommy's birthday (yes, 31...sigh) are all right around the corner!

Peekaboo

It's been said that "a baby's laugh is the sweetest sound."

And fortunately for us, our baby girl's laughter fills our house with this kind of pure joy - the kind only a baby can bring - all the time...particularly during one of her favorite games: peek-a-boo...or "ahhh-boo," as we commonly refer to it.

Enjoy!

Note: you may need to scroll down the left side of my blog page and turn off my blogsite background music in the pink box to hear the video.

Gobble Gobble!

I can recall the joy of last Thanksgiving, 2009 - stretchy, oh-so-comfy maternity pants, the fun of "eating for two" and second helpings of...well, everything...and the fun time we had last year, after having just found out that we were expecting a little girl in the coming year. My mom and I went Black Friday shopping the day after, found tons a great deals, and came home to a beautifully-painted pink and gray nursery, one fit for a princess. Everything about our pregnancy had started to really kick-in.

Who would have known that we could top all of that this year?

But we did...

Kinsley's First Thanksgiving, 2010...complete with the Marietta Square "Turkey Trot" race that morning (mommy's first time jogging in a L-O-N-G time) and then her being showered with so many hugs and kisses from family the rest of the day. Philip's family was out of town last Thanksgiving at a wedding, so it was great having everyone back together this year, including Kinsley's three cousins and all of her aunts and uncles, from both sides, all at one house, all enjoying the same good food. Our blessings this 2010 are abundant, and we continue thank God for everything he has given to us. I am personally so thankful that He has blessed me with being Philip's wife and Kinsley's (and Hunter's) mama...what an amazing journey so far.

So, what's the even better thing about Thanskgiving? It kicks off our family's FAVORITE time of year leading up to our baby's first Christmas! Kins and I sing Christmas carols in the car ALL the time on our way to and from work. I think that she recognizes them from last year, when I would sing them to her while she was cookin' in my belly....especially our Charlie Brown Christmas CD...we could just play that on repeat all day long.

And speaking of Christmas, I already put in a good word with Santa...I told him that she has been very, very, VERY good! :)

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Kinsley, all ready for her first road race...cozy blanket? Check. Lots of toys? Check. Totally having fun taking in all of the sights and sounds around her at a 10k+ person event? Check and check.

Can you believe that we ALL got up on a cold, HOLIDAY morning to go run? But it was a blast!

Finished!

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Happy First Thanksgiving baby girl!

Love those big blue eyes...

Kinsley was already trying to borrow her fashionable cousin's new red shoes.

The Stanford "Aunts" and the "Kiddo's"!

Kinsley with two beautiful ladies: her Beebe and her May-May.

Kinsley with two of her favorite guys: her Pop and her Papa!

With her Uncle D and Aunt Ang!

And Hunter took his usual place at Thanksgiving: near the food...just waiting for a little treat.

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Kelly, me, and Jenn at Kelly's last birthday in her 20's!

A great sibling photo.

Me and Phil on a nice little dinner out with everyone while mom and dad babysat Kins for us.

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Love this photo...the final group shot of the weekend of all the "kids" and grandkids from the Stanford side. One of my all-time favorites (and everyone is looking at the camera)!

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Now, bring on Christmas!!!!!