Back to the grindstone . . .

I had a wonderful 4 days away from my desk and the salon. I was kind of feeling the pressure to write a blog yesterday after seeing everyone's Thanksgiving posts, but it felt kind of like work. Since I'm now back at work and trying to do everything but work, now is the right time.
Thanksgiving went very well this year. Turner didn't seem intimidated by any of the relatives he hasn't seen since he was 5 weeks old and he waddled around in a good mood. He ate mashed potatoes, corn, and ice cream. It was a first for the ice cream and to no one's surprise, he liked it. He got to meet his 2nd cousins Sawyer and Hannah. They had a session with the family paparazzi and did so well! Turner tried talking to Sawyer, but unfortunately Sawyer doesn't speak Jibber Jabber. Sawyer kept asking, "what is he saying?" I've never seen Turner make such an effort to communicate. It was pretty awesome.
After we left Family Session 1, we were off to Family Session 2; but not before a nap. It seems Turner had other plans and didn't want to sleep. (We'll have to remember to stuff him full of Turkey next year and avoid the ice cream.) We went on to our second stop of the day and it wasn't as smooth as we had hoped. Turner didn't want held by anyone and of course everyone wanted to hold him. Some people made an attempt despite his resistance, but it didn't last long. It's hard when those types of situations come up . . . what to do? Do you deny people your son when they've been dying to see him or do you take sit back and watch him struggle and cry to make relatives happy?

After typing the last question out, I had to try to find an answer. Here's what I found:

"Stranger anxiety can be upsetting to friends and relatives, who may feel rebuffed by a suddenly shy child. The baby may reject a caregiver she was previously comfortable with or grow hysterical when relatives visit. It can also be a frustrating time for the child's parents, since the baby may reject the parent who is not the principal caregiver. Parents should respect the child's fear as much as possible and allow her to approach people as she is able. If the child does not want to be hugged by or sit with a relative, it is unwise to force her. Eventually children outgrow their fear and become more tolerant of strangers."


It looks like we support Turner's emotions until he is more comfortable. Problem solved!

Friday was Thanksgiving Part II at Mom's. Nothing's better than my mom's home cooking. The entire meal was delish! I don't care how terrible a cook you are; when you grow up on the same food you develop a taste for it and will always crave it. I blame my Mom for my chocolate addiction, but the little thrill I get when I open the wrapper . . . Mmmmm. So I have comfort in knowing that no matter what, Turner is going to love my food and his future wife will spend years trying to match the taste. The other day Tanner told me my chocolate chip cookies were better than his Mom's! Maybe it was because he hasn't had a chocolate chip cookie since his birthday in April OR . . . it's because they were fantabulous cookies made with a wife's love, orphan tears, and rainbows. He couldn't have given me a bigger compliment. Like I've mentioned before, it's the little things.

Saturday we were definitely ready for a day at home. We did the typical pj's until noon, then got bundled up and went to pick out our Christmas tree. Turner was more interested in the Labrador Retriever running around than the trees but it was still fun. We picked out an average sized tree and realized it was only 2 inches from our ceiling when we put it up. It was naptime for Turner, so Tanner and I decorated it while he slept. We kissed when we put our 1st Christmas 2003 ornament on the tree and reminisced about all of the other ornaments that represented special moments in our lives. The holidays make us feel mushy gushy and lovey dovey so if you don't want to be sickened by the hand-holding, don't come to our house between November 30th and December 26th. Just figured I'd warn you. Turner woke up from his nap and was loving the tree. In the first 10 minutes he managed to break an ornament, but it was a cheapo filler so no biggie. After half and hour it was like the giant lighted object in the middle of our living room didn't exist. I'm really glad because I didn't feel like using plan B (throwing all of the ornaments on the top of tree.)

Yesterday was the usual: family time, grocery time, back to family time. Sundays are reserved for cleaning the house, watching football, spending hours of one-on-one time with Turner, and making a big dinner for all of us to enjoy followed by dessert. The simple things are the greatest of all.

Back to work today, hohum. I'm trying to manage by playing holiday tunes and avoiding my To Do list at all cost.

Only 24 days to Christmas!