Thanksgiving

We originally planned to drive to California with Layne and Kris and spend Thanksgiving with Brian's Grandma and the extended Westover Clan. However, we were able to see her the week before in Idaho, so we decided not to make the drive. We were worried how Connor would do in the car for the 12-ish hour drive, even when we were thinking of dividing the travel time over two days. Layne and Kris planned to still go to California, so Brian and I decided to just stay home and have our own Thanksgiving. Even when we learned that Layne and Kris had gotten sick and weren't going to California, we decided to stay home instead of driving back up to Idaho. We'd just all gotten over the worst of a nasty cold and didn't want to hazard catching something else. Although we would terrible miss spending the holiday with our extended family, we were excited to just have a quiet Thanksgiving at home for the first time as a family of three.

Once it was looking like we'd be staying home, I had a little less than a week to plan our Thanksgiving dinner. It all came together wonderfully.

I did most of the baking and made some of our sides the day prior to turkey day. Brian took Wednesday off, and I'm so glad he did. While I worked on making rolls, cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and apple pie, Brian took care of Connor. I don't think I would have been able to get all of that done if Brian hadn't been there to care for our curious little guy. As it was, Brian had a full time job keeping him entertained and out of the kitchen. At one point, I gave Connor a whisk and a bowl and he had a great time learning from Brian how to stir.

Thanksgiving morning I got up early with Connor and we had breakfast. I turned on the Macy's parade so we could watch it while we ate. Connor was being a little stinker and didn't want to eat, so I did what I could and then finished my breakfast. Brian got up soon after and took over with Connor so I could get the stuffing made and the turkey stuffed and in the oven. They had fun watching the parade while I was working on the turkey. I kept popping over from the kitchen so that I could catch bits of the parade, and one time I found Brian giving Connor a taste of apple cider. He was a fan. Brian had only left a small bit of the cider in his mug before giving it to Connor. Good thing, because once Connor got his first taste, it was bottoms up for him. He was so funny and cute, trying to get every last drop out of the too-big mug.

     

Since this was Connor's first Thanksgiving, Brian and I had decided to time dinner so that it would be ready after Connor's nap. Of course, that day Connor decided that he didn't want to eat or nap at his usual times. The turkey came out looking amazing right on schedule, but instead of just waking up from a nap, Connor was finally ready to go down for one. So, Brian put Connor down for a nap while I finished prepping the meal.

I was a bit disappointed at first, because I had wanted Connor to eat with us. Brian and I decided to go ahead and eat without him, and I'm so glad we did! We don't get a lot of baby free time together these days, and it was really wonderful to just have a leisurely meal together, just the two of us. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly--the food and conversation/company was great.

After we had finished eating, packing up the leftovers, and doing dishes, we though about trying to take a nap ourselves. We really wanted to, but Connor had been asleep long enough that he would wake up before we got a good nap in, so we decided to just stay awake. We weren't wrong, soon enough Connor was awake and ready to eat. We decided to take a family picture before we fed him--while he was still clean. He was a bit grumpy because he was not quite fully awake yet and he was hungry. This is as close to a smile as we could get from him.

We'd dished up a little bit of everything onto a plate for Connor as we were putting the leftovers away. I warmed up his food while Brian put him in his booster seat. When I set the plate on the table next to him, he just started at it, not really reacting.

I put some stuffing and turkey on his tray. He tried the stuffing and like that just fine. He ate a bit of turkey and chewed on it for a minute, but then spit it out. Not a fan, but I don't blame him. Turkey is hard to chew without any molars. I gave him some creamed corn and sweet potatoes and he like those just fine. He's not a fan of regular mashed potatoes and turkey gravy though. He spit the potatoes out as soon as they touched his tongue.

     

Connor really surprised us by liking the cranberry sauce and cranberry orange relish. He didn't just like it, he LOVED it. He chewed the first bite of each with a thoughtful/serious expression on his face then started saying "meh, meh, meh"--his way of asking for more. We gave him more bites of both, and he started to smile. He was so insistent and impatient between bites, he just couldn't get enough of it. I can't fault him though, it's so yummy. After he had the cranberry sauce and relish, he wouldn't eat anything else...he only wanted cranberries.  

We managed to get him to eat some more corn and stuffing, but every other bite had to be cranberry sauce/relish. Funny little guy. We though for sure that it would be too tart for him, but we were wrong. What kind of kid likes cranberries but hates mashed potatoes?! He had fun playing with his spoon (he hasn't figured out how to feed himself with it yet) and playing with the food on his tray. He made a fine mess.

     

He gave us a very big smile at the end of his meal. I think he is a fan of Thanksgiving. I'm so glad he enjoyed his meal.

Later we enjoyed some pie. Brian had a slice of apple pie and I had a piece of pumpkin pie. So good. My pies turned out really good this year. Connor got a taste of both apple and pumpkin and seemed to like both equally well. He smiled after each successive bite he got. 

Over the next couple of days as we enjoyed the leftovers of our feast, we learned that we had to keep the cranberry sauce and relish out of Connor's sight. Otherwise, he would refuse to eat anything but that. After I got some stuffing, potatoes, and vegetables into the kid, then I'd bring it over to the table and give him some. We have a little cranberry fiend on our hand. He was pretty cute with cranberry sauce all over his face.

We thoroughly enjoyed our five day break together. It was so nice to have Brian home and get to spend so much time together as a family. It was such a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Although we had stayed home in part to avoid getting sick again, Brian came down with another cold/flu on Saturday, and stayed in bed pretty much that whole day and the next. I'm glad he had those days off so he could just rest and recuperate. 

Sunday was my birthday. I opened my gift from Brian and some cards from family in the morning. Brian went back to bed and slept most of the day. Poor fellow was not feeling well at all. Since Brian was sick in bed, Connor and I just hung out all day, cuddling and playing. It was a low-key day, but that was okay. I enjoyed all of the texts, phone calls, and Facebook messages I received from friends and family wishing me a happy birthday. It really brightened my day and made me feel loved. I'm blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Brian and I have so much to be grateful for this year. We are so grateful for each other and for our happy, healthy little boy. We love our little family! We are so grateful for our parents, siblings, and extended family. We feel blessed that we belong to such amazing families. We are grateful for our friends as well. We are thankful for Brian's job and that it allows us to live here in Utah and not in NYC. We are thankful that we live closer to family, and that we get to see them so often. We are thankful for our Heavenly Father and for our Savior Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for us, and His gospel. We are extremely thankful for all of the blessings we have and do receive and for the peace, hope, and joy that we experience because of Him. Happy Thanksgiving.