My Brother Brian

 Found these cute pictures of my brother and me.  I may be stretching things a bit but I think Alma looks like my brother and James looks like me. 

Grandma Chisholm and a Baptism

 Grandma Chisholm came from Oregon to meet James and attend his baptism.  Here they are meeting for the first time. 

 James getting dressed for his baptism in the same gown that Joshua wore when he was a baby.

 James's godparents are my cousin Peter and my best friend Kate.  A criminal defense attorney and a pediatrician, this kid is set!

 Alma with her godparents, Christine and Scott.

We are so blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends ... and especially our week with Grandma Chisholm!

First Visitors



Newest Thompson

My brother and his family welcomed their third child at the beginning of June, so we celebrated the baby's baptism this past weekend.

Alma enjoyed playing in the baptismal font with Grandpa, who she lovingly calls "Baw-paw".

World, Please Meet Our Daughter, Alma

To celebrate her first week of life, here's her story from the beginning ...

Since we had an ultrasound appointment on Monday morning (December 7) to have some tests done [since I was one week "overdue" with my pregnancy and there was a chance that we would be induced], we wanted to decorate the house and get all the last minute items together over the weekend. On Saturday we went to Lowe's to get a Christmas tree and all the trimmings with our wonderful neighbors Randy and Erin. Sunday was spent decorating, going to a prenatal yoga class and attending Mass. By Sunday night we felt we were finally ready to go into labor ... and so we did!Monday morning at 4:40 a.m. I was sitting up in bed reading when my water broke. (I woke up at 4 am most nights of my pregnancy, usually for a bowl of cereal.) As requested, we waited until 6:30 a.m. to call the doctor so that we wouldn't wake him up. He told us to come into the hospital right away. Here I am in the evaluation room right before switching to hospital clothing. I wanted one last photo of being pregnant.We were able to have an awesome birthing experience. My body was well-prepped for the day -- all that prenatal yoga paid off! -- so I didn't need any pain medication and labor progressed naturally and quickly throughout the day. The only intervention the doctor decided to do was re-breaking my water since my natural water break was higher in my belly and not effective enough. I only had 25 minutes of pushing at the end of the day, which I hear is quick for a first child. I feel so blessed by how (relatively) easy the process was for me.

We were also blessed to have the same nurse for the entire delivery. Debbie was such an angel/ peaceful spirit/great cheerleader. I'm bummed that we didn't get a photo of her. Honestly, I don't think that I would have been able to have a completely natural birth without her encouragement.

But more than anyone else, Joshua was my pain medication. He stayed so calm and was extremely attentive. With his constant positive attitude and soothing massages, I felt comfortable enough to do the things which eased my contractions, like singing and swaying to stay loose. I don't think that nurses have seen many women sing as much as I did. It felt natural for me to use music as a way of relaxing.Alma was born at 6:24 p.m., weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz, 21.5 inches. She had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice but that was quickly resolved.When the doctors and nurses were completing the paperwork, they stamped Joshua's white tee-shirt with her feet. How cute is that?! After Joshua and I visited with her for an hour, we invited my parent's back to the delivery room to meet her. It was fun to have them there and see them glow over their newest grandchild. We had to part from her for a few hours so the medical staff could evaluate her and my parents had to leave because it was the end of visiting hours. Joshua and I went to our recovery room and were so geared up that you might have thought that we just won the Super Bowl. We ate some dinner and recapped the events of the day. It was nice to have that time with just the two of us. Our hospital stay was great. Joshua was allowed to stay overnight in the room with me and we didn't have the share the room with any other patients. It was nice to have those two night to get used to parenthood in a little cocoon of care.

The following day, Brian and Bridgette came to visit. It was wonderful to see their excitement and feel their support.On Wednesday evening, we left the hospital. My parents stayed with us for two nights and provided invaluable help -- cooking, cleaning and shopping for us so that we could simply concentrate on taking care of Alma. The only problem with having both my father and Joshua in the same house is that they are too funny. I feel like my healing was delayed from all the laughing. Sounds corny, but it is true!

Then Kate and Neal came from Pittsburgh to cook us meals, show us a few pointers for taking care of the baby (Kate is a pediatrician -- lucky us!), and share photos from their recent trip to SE Asia. It is always good to see them, even when sleep-deprived.

The pets are handling the new addition well. Shanti the cat is keeping her distance. Simon the dog is also keeping his distance ... with a little prodding from us.

Overall, the transition to life with a baby has been super. Sure we aren't sleeping much, but we didn't expect to. Alma is very sweet and too cute to comprehend. Here are some photos from today. Since I needed some fresh air, Joshua and I took the dog and the babe to a local park. It felt so good to be outside and walk around a bit.

And, since this was a hot topic prior to her arrival: No, she doesn't seem to have red hair. It is a beautiful shiny blond color. Although, it is difficult to tell at this stage what color it will be when she grows up.

We will be sure to post more photos soon!

40 Week Update

Still happily pregnant ... although we are starting to feel that labor could begin soon. Exciting stuff!

Thanksgiving morning photo:

Photo from this morning:

Keep us in your prayers as we start the process of meeting our little SweetPea!

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In other news, we had a great Thanksgiving with my parents, Brian, Bridgette and their little ones. It was so nice to have everyone over to our house for a big meal. Thanksgiving is easily the best holiday of the year.

What We Do While We Wait

We have been enjoying the last weeks of pregnancy with lots of fun projects.

Last weekend, Dad came out to visit. And, in typical Dad fashion, he completed a metric ton of projects around the house that have been haunting us. Mainly, he fixed all of the electrical outlets and light switches that we tried to enhance. For example, we have been living without a light in the kitchen -- beyond the little one over the stove top -- for over a year now. Having a real light in the kitchen is pretty amazing. Possibly even life changing.

Here he is installing numbers on the front of the house with Joshua.
As a break from all of the work on the house, Dad and I headed over to the Independent Seaport Museum, where I worked for a short time, for an afternoon of gawking at boats. It's always so much fun to hang out with my father. To celebrate Brian and Bridgette's newest babe, I recently made this quilt. Honestly, I'm a bit of a hack when it comes to quilting, so I was really pleased with this one. It may be the best one yet and it was really fun to make knowing that my first niece will get to enjoy it.

Since some prominent literature suggests that black and white designs are good for a baby's development, I also made a quilt for our little TBD.

Today, Joshua is making two poviticas, one for Thanksgiving and the other to celebrate the coming of the baby. And, because using power tools is always more fun when pregnant, I'm replacing all of the kitchen cabinet doors. We had to replace the kitchen cabinet doors because the Ikea laminate on them was falling off.
The back story: When we first moved into this house, Shanti the cat accidentally (or at least that is what she tells us) turned on the kitchen faucet when we were both at work. Since there were dishes in the sink, the sink filled with water and then the water started to fill up the entire kitchen (and basement). The water seeped into the cabinets and caused them to split. Now, two years later, the cabinet doors were really starting to split apart even more. Good thing Ikea still makes this design.
Before:
After (with Shanti looking away in shame) ... also notice the dishwasher that we recently got as a graduation present from my parents:
And since no pregnancy is complete without lots of "showing off the belly" shots, here you go. This was taken two weeks ago. My belly seems even bigger now. Having a pregnant belly is awesome and I'm already sure that I will miss it.

Friends, family, parades, weddings and babies

July has been a busy month for us. Here are some highlights:

Tara, my Minnesota friend who I knew in Seattle who currently lives in Portland, OR (tracking her has become my hobby!), came to visit us in Philadelphia on the way to her brother's wedding in NYC. It was so great to see her -- she is such a great soul. We spent one evening touring Eastern State Penitentiary. It was fun and reminded me of when we toured Alcatraz together.

For the 4th of July, we joined Brian, his son and my parents at a parade. I love small town parades! Here's Brian, Joshua and Charlie the dog enjoying the parade. Last weekend, I was a pregnant groomsman in Patrick and Carrie's weddings. It was so fun to hang out with "the boys" from college while Joshua had a fun time hanging out with the wives. Highlights included Carrie's butt-wiggling excitement during the ceremony, Adam's best man toast (gosh knows he's done them enough!) and all the little touches that Patrick and Carrie did to make the wedding really special. What a great couple and a good group of friends and family.My cousin Tara and her fiance Brian had their wedding shower in Clinton, NJ at my aunt and uncle's house. It was fun to see some of my Thompson relatives and meet Brian. We are hoping to attend the wedding but are unsure of how I will be feeling about the long drive up to New England at the beginning of September.
In super exciting news, Brian and Bridgette welcomed a baby girl this past week. While she was born 11 weeks early, she is a fighter and seems to be doing well thus-far. I'm shy to say more since they are private about baby-related news when it comes to their own family, which I want to respect. Please keep them in your prayers as she continues to grow and develop.

In more baby news, Joshua and I had our 20-week ultrasound today. The baby was moving around so much they had a difficult time analyzing all the body parts. The baby was tucking its legs over its head along with its hands and then spinning around a bunch. I don't even know how that is possible!! But things look great and the baby is on track growth-wise. My parents came along to the ultrasound, too, which was fun. This past week I have started to feel the baby move around more often. It's beginning to feel more real these days.