Officially That Time of Year...

explanation for picture at bottom of page

Well, we successfully hosted our first Thanksgiving! We had a marvelous time at it- there were 10 grown-ups and 2 babies and the food was wonderful and we ate and ate and then the boys threw around a flat football. I used our dining room table as the serving area and then we borrowed two tables to set up in the living room to form one long dining room table. I mixed and matched our dishes and goblets to try and make the settings a little funky and finally got to use our monogrammed cloth napkins that we received as wedding gifts! (We've been married since May, 2006).

Everyone left at 7 when our friend hosted a dessert party where her mother-in-law (who is literally a national pie-baking champion) baked us several pies for our happy consumption. I don't even care for pies very much but these were delicious morsels from heaven. I finally understood what Keri Russell was singing about in that stupid movie.

Adam, Henry, and I only stayed a bit because it was past Henry's bed time. So, then we skidaddled home and put our feet up, at last. It had been quite a day. I now have a new appreciation for the women in my life who plan, clean, set-up, cook, and (the worst) do the dishes on Thanksgiving.

Brooke took the pictures or else I would show you photographic proof of our wonderful day. So, you're just going to have to take my word for it. I'm embarrassed to say that the only picture we took was the one at the top of the page. Adam snapped these uncooperative crescent rolls (pre-oven) with his camera on his phone. They ended up tasting just fine.

Dear toy manufacturers,

Dear toy manufacturers, have I got an idea for you: toy electrical cords. It'll be the candy cigarettes of the new millenium. I can't explain the appeal...I just know that my son crawls right past his boring toys straight to the inviting lamp, computer, breast pump, and alarm clock cord and wants to chew on it.

Standing Up For Himself

Not that you care, but today I walked into Henry's room because I heard him waking up from his nap, and he was standing up in the crib.

Whoa. First crawling, now this...all hands on deck. Luckily, we had already lowered the crib mattress.

Turkey Day Approaches & Ta-Ta

This year, the three of us will be staying in good ol' Erie for Thanksgiving. Due to Adam's rotation schedule, we were unable to make it down to Texas (sad) but we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with 8 other friends (happy!) at our house. It is a nice, low-pressure hosting gig- the 8 other guests are bringing food and Brooke & Freeland are even handling the turkey (yippee!)

I made my Mom's bestest Thanksgiving dish tonight (spinach madeline) and froze it for Thursday. It was the first time that I'd made it and I have a new appreciation for her cooking my favorite dish every holiday (thanks, Mom!)

Thanks for all the advice about Henry biting my ta-ta's during nursing sessions. I am hoping that we can survive this era and I can keep on until his first birthday!

Teeth

Now that Henry has his two bottom teeth, he has bitten me a few times.

While I was feeding him.

It hurts, I won't lie. The first few times, it wasn't too bad but it's become worse and I have yelped out a couple of times and made Henry both cry and laugh. I want to keep on nursing him but, geez Louise...

Swinging!

As a mother, I have a whole new level of appreciation for parks.

Free entertainment.

Henry loved the park- watching the big kids, swinging, going down slides with me, it's all good.

Stranger than Fiction

Today, Henry and I are walking into Wegman's and I see these four sassy old ladies get out of their SUV.

Wow, one of them is really tall, I think.

Wait, another one has a huge adam's apple.

Wait. Yes, they are men. There are four cross-dressing old men walking into Wegman's in front of me. At 11 a.m. In Erie.

Oddly enough, one has legs that I would kill for.

Then, I get into Wegman's and there are two news teams in the produce section filming (unrelated to the cross-dressers, presumably). So, I walk really slowly behind them sniffing and sizing fruits and vegetables. You may see me on the news in a gray sweater.