Post-Thanksgivingness

So, I had a lovely week off last week. Really, I did. It was so nice to sleep in a bit, set my own schedule, accomplish tremendous quantities of house cleaning and cooking, take naps with you in The Big Bed (read: Mommy and Daddy's bed). Aaaaah. It really was great.

Of course, it was also unbelievably and freakishly stressful. I conceded to reality and my week off did not mean you had a week off. Nope. Monday morning, Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning you still went to school as usual. I relieved the tiny bit of guilt I felt for that by reminding myself - and rightly so! - that toddlers are creatures of habit and it really was in your best interest to stick with what you know. So, off to school it was. Of course, Daddy and I both took you on Monday morning then trucked off for a very adult-on-vacation cup of coffee with friends. It was a cold, pouring-rain morning so coffee was just perfect. We went to IKEA for a bit after that and were home by early afternoon to begin the mayhem known as Thanksgiving preparation.

For the remainder of that day and most of the next two days, I was a slave to the house. We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned in places I'm not sure I've ever seen in our own house. And that's pretty sad since we've owned it almost four years now. I also spent a good chunk of Wednesday preparing and prepping foodstuffs for Thursday. Like a good slave, I set my alarm for 5 a.m. Thursday morning and thus hilarity ensued with the chopping, stuffing and cooking of the turkey.

And oh! What a turkey. So moist and flavorful. I used an herb-brined turkey recipe and it cooked for ages. From the moment I woke up, it was a whirlwind of food, friends and family until about 4 p.m. when we were suddenly alone. It was nice, but truly crazy. You had a field day with all the friends and family about. You weren't so thrilled with the food, which is kind of odd. But people had been feeding you all day, mostly deviled eggs and cheese puffs, so I guess it's not that surprising. I think you ate about 10 deviled eggs. Thankfully I didn't know about this until AFTER the fact.

Anyway, so it's over. We had a nice long weekend together and this week is back to normal. We did put the Christmas tree up, which was a horrible temptation for you the first few days. Now you pretty much ignore it which is what we'd hoped for. Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. Not sure what that's about.

In other news, you're talking up a storm! Your enunciation is getting so much better, we really do have a pretty good idea what you're talking about most of the time. You also are becoming much more discriminate in your responses to things. If you don't know what we're asking you, you now make a "Huh?" sound instead of just blindly nodding or shaking your head. I already see an improvement in your personality most of the time now that you can communicate more things. Still throwing your tantrums once in a while, but they're usually for a "good" reason if such a thing exists. They're usually related to sleep, or lack thereof.

Also, and this one's exciting for us, you're learning about physical boundaries. For your entire babyhood and toddlerhood thus far, the kitchen has been cordoned off with baby gates. We've gotten very good at balancing plates, glasses and silverware for the leap over gates in the last year and a half or so. They've been permanent fixtures. Well, no more. I decided a week or so ago that they should come down. You're old enough to understand us, so you're old enough to learn where you can and can't go. Sure enough, you found it as intriguing as the Christmas tree for a couple of days, but the novelty wore off. We generally try now to keep the lights off in there unless we're in there (a good habit regardless), and you really don't go in there. Of course, with the gates down, our house has one of those circular run-at-will feels to it and you do have occasional round races with the doggie. But that's actually okay with me. As long as you don't eat her food in there we're good.

So that's the long update. I figured it was about time. Oh, and some belated congratulations for Anne and Julie on the deliveries of their babies. Anne's is a girl named Emma and who knows what Julie's is? I'm thrilled for both of them and wishing happy, quick recoveries for both of them.

And BabyBaby is on the other side of her mastectomy. Still scary stuff, but I choose to believe she's at the beginning of something good. Keep her in your thoughts if you would.