Gobble Gobb-Ho Ho Ho

Ethan loved his first Thanksgiving! And, I know that I am a bit partial, but Ethan and Jake were PERFECT yesterday. Both boys slept all the way through dinner in Winnetka. Seriously, I was amazed at the great timing. Never in a million years did I actually expect to sit through the duration of the meal. I thought, OK, I'm a mom now, so the time of relaxing holidays are over. But, man, I tell you, it was like I didn't have a kid for that little bit of time! He's such a good boy! And when he was awake, he was wonderfully social and tolerant of the many flashbulbs. And there were many! Can you blame us? They're cute enough without their matching Thanksgiving outfits, but come on, they were adorable! And I really can't get over Jake's fantastic hair. It was parted and styled yesterday - classic! He's such a tiny peanut compared to our big boy. I like to hold him and relive my tiny baby days from just a few months ago. We all had a great day. And we even got to spend some time with my family, too. We drove from Winnetka to Lemont in under an hour and had some dessert and visited with the family. OK, I'll admit it: I also had another plate of turkey with the trimmings. I thought it was only fair to sample it since the food was still out. In my defense, though, I chose an apple for dessert and skipped the pies. I was glad we made it out there because it was the first time for a while that the WHOLE family was around for Thanksgiving at the same house. Auntie Nancy does an amazing job cooking for so many people. Fun times!

Then today we got ready for the next holiday! Our house is fully decked out, tree trimmed and all, ready for Christmas. And we had Will's Grandbob, his friend Jan, his Aunts Marge and Carolyn, and his parents over for a big pasta dinner. I made meat sauce, they brought a salad and pie, and we had a tasty meal. I was excited to use my individual dishes for oil and cheese that I rarely use. (Thanks Crate and Barrel.) Will's Grandbob lives in Indy and doesn't get a chance to visit often, so it was nice they could make a trip out to our house. Ethan ate at the table with us, and Will's aunt commented that it was his first dinner party. These days are full of firsts, that's for sure.

Can I just gush for a bit and tell you that I really am so in love with my son. He is the cutest little man in the world, and he's laughing and smiling all the time now. I just want to squeeze him! Being a parent, with all the exhaustion and worry, is so worth it. Who knew we had this capacity to love so fiercely?