11:42 AM: My son woke up today to greet his first Thanksgiving day. He doesn’t know what it is or why (or even if) it is different than any other day but today was special for that reason alone. He watched his mother make an apple pie and watched dad fiddle with computers and do some dishes. He was asleep in the early morning hours when the dead bird was filled with bread and sausage, stuffed in a bag, and placed in the oven. As I write this the bird is out of the oven. It has been replaced by the apple pie. My son is taking another nap, my wife is trying to find hooks for Christmas tree ornaments, and I’m writing this. More later.
1:58 PM: We’ve finished our turkey (with a healthy dose of leftovers left over), had our corn, potatoes and gravy, and even taken a drink or two of the bubbly stuff. Our son appeased us by sitting in his “magic ring” swing as we ate. After Mom was finished our son was treated to his thanksgiving feast: a round of nursing! He was extremely appreciative. He’s already on round two as I type this. Mom is uploading some photos of the events to social networking sites so that we can share with family far away. One treat, however, is left. That is the pie! I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited. My wife is not only a great cook, but she’s also an expert baker. I’ll have to brew some tea! The day has been low stress, comfortable, and full of laughter and love. I wish I had every day off!
4:53 PM: The whole family just took a brief walk. We put Cillian in the stroller (without the car seat!) for the first time. He seemed to know that this was something new. Instead of looking at us he was able to look at the houses and trees along the street as they slowly grew bigger as we got closer to them. His world is expanding. As I write this he is loudly nursing next to me. He’s readying himself for the next round of challenges and adventures he’ll face as a growing baby boy. The apple pie was great! We had it with coffee and some vanilla ice cream. Perhaps the one thing I’m absolutely certain of is the fact that time off spent with family is a good thing. This was my little families first thanksgiving together. There have been no extended family or friends. Mom and Dad and Baby. Am I looking forward to Christmas? You bet!
