Baby's First Christmas

Kate was sick with an ear infection, bad cold, and cough for her first Christmas, but despite some wheezing and having to get her nose aspirated a couple times a day (absolute torture to her) we had a really fun and special holiday.

We started the celebration Christmas Eve at Granna and Opa's house (Matt's parents') and opened gifts with them and Matt's brother Andrew and our sister-in-law Alexis. Kate was more interested in eating crackers and cheese than in opening her gifts, but she did enjoy playing with her new giraffe riding toy. While she hasn't figured out how to propel herself with her feet yet, she does enjoy being pushed on it and can do a very deft dismount without falling!


After gifts with Matt's immediate family, his grandmother, aunt and uncle, cousin with wife and kids, Alexis' parents, and my parents arrived for a big family dinner. Kate had her own little plate, which she dumped on her high chair tray when we weren't looking.

After the church's Christmas Eve service, those who made the trek back to Clarksville with us came over for coffee and cookies, and Matt read The Night Before Christmas to Kate (and the rest of us).

Poor Kate was up a bit in the night (as she had been the night before) due to her cough and congestion, but was chipper in the morning as we all checked out what Santa brought us. Nala and Popi (my parents) were with us, and Santa found them here too! (here's Kate looking like Aretha Franklin at the Inaugeration)

When I was still pregnant, I asked my mom to make a stocking for Kate similar to the one she made for me when I was a baby. I had so much fun filling it with treats. I think that was my favorite part of Kate's first Christmas--finding and wrapping gifts for Kate. I didn't spend a lot (finding many of them at consignment sales, on eBay, and on sale at Target) but I really enjoyed doing that for her. See some of the fun things Kate received from her parents and other family members:

Of course, it's still better to give than to receive, and Kate made mugs for each of her grandparents, to celebrate their "first Christmas" as grandparents. (Sooooo hard to do baby handprints! Try the foot instead, add eyes and a red nose, and you've got a reindeer--the toes are like little antlers!)
I'm looking forward to so many more Christmasses as a family. We hope you all had a very merry Christmas, whether it was your first or your ninety-first!