The First Thanksgiving

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving. I’m going to give you the same spill I give my students during this time of the year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Inevitably everyone wants to know why Christmas isn’t. It’s the gift thing. I love presents (if you are married to me and reading this I LOVE presents) but I really do love a holiday dedicated to the showing of gratitude, coming together of family, and dinner around a softly lit table with everyone sharing their thanks. That’s my fantasy world. In reality, it’s a very different thing.
Reality was waking up Thanksgiving morning and realizing there was no way in hell we were getting anywhere close to my parents before noon. First feeding went well, but instead of organizing and packing the night before, I’m not sure what Matt and I did, but it probably involved watching Netflix way too late followed by me having to get up with sweet SL, followed by me begging Matt to hang out with her for just an extra 20 minutes while I showered…or slept. So after first feeding we were scrambling, and I was shouting things like, “Don’t forget the pink teether!” . Packing for one night is exactly the same as moving with a baby. The back of the car ends up full. Worse still, Matt had requested I “pack light”. If you know me and are reading this, you’re laughing, yes?. I mean, anyone who has ever known me (hello, nut forks, anyone? Jamie and Kendra, are you reading this?) knows that I am not a light packer. When I went through Europe after college graduation, I just mailed boxes home, and eventually my suitcase as we moved to warmer climates. It was ridiculous. I arrived home to somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 international packages. The UPS man probably thought my parents had started an import business. I understand the concept of light travel- Buddhism teaches us that we should not focus on material possessions, and Jesus spends a whole lot of time saying that we should give more than we receive. But how I love my possessions. And having them with me. And SL needs things. We aren’t going anywhere without the pink ball, Sleepy Owl, or a lovey. We will also need enough diapers to cover a catastrophic event that would prevent us from getting back to Raleigh for several months, 10 outfits per day, and at least four pacifiers. We will also need blankets, towels, a stroller, a carrier, the carseat (at least I’m legally backed up with that), bottles, her medicine, that terrible syringe thing you use in their nose, and…. In case you haven’t had a baby yet, I won’t scare you with the rest of the list, but the list is long.
So we didn’t make it out the door until after second feeding, which meant we were leaving around the same time that I thought we would be arriving at my parents’ house. So I simply avoided texting or calling until they started contacting me. First Dad with an “ETA” text, then Mom, and finally the “Where are you?” phone call. Fortunately everyone else was running late, too, so it wasn’t as big of a deal as it could have been. I did miss the Macy’s parade, however. When we arrived, there came the unpacking. The setting up. The baby who is halfway awake (girlfriend still won’t take a good nap) and confused about where she is, unpacking the dairy free food for me (Yay for DAIRY FREE HOLIDAYS. I might be the only person in the United States who LOST weight over Thanksgiving. By the way, the Yay is not authentic.) And explaining yet again that I can’t eat the Sweet Potato casserole or the dinner rolls because I’m a dedicated mother. But that I will allow myself to stare longingly at them, NO JUDGEMENT. Now I’m pouting, looking at the table of food and trying to remember the message I gave my students about being grateful for everything I have. Being grateful I didn’t have to worry about indigestion from too many helpings of sweet potato casserole or pumpkin pie. Lucky me. So grateful.
Once we were there and settled, it was time to feed the baby again. Because it’s almost always time to feed the baby again. Finally we were all settled at the table, and could talk about the important things in life- namely the ACC tournament in March, and the baby. It was much better than the year I had to sit through an analysis of my single librarian lifestyle. Thank God for college basketball. After Thanksgiving dinner, following a tradition I never thought she’d pick up on, SL napped. For a really long time- on my dad. While he sort of napped/watched football. Win-win. It gave us time to hang out (with TWO ARMS), gave me peace of mind knowing that she was completely comfortable, and helped me see the beauty of Thanksgiving with a baby. It was hard to believe only one year before we had prepared to announce that we had a baby on the way, and here she was. All 11 fiesty pounds of her give or take. Gratitude has never been so grand.
Soon we’ll be working on our own holiday traditions, and ideas are definitely in discussion. Especially since now that there is a baby, everyone feels ownership and wants her. It comes down to where we should spend our time as a family, and how we break free of those traditions to begin new ones. Breaking free might mean hosting a holiday meal at our house (I’m going to go ahead and admit I have never cooked a turkey), or it might mean making sure we are back in time to enjoy our home before bed. Either way, a baby is the best way to begin something new by being someone new. By bringing with her the joys that define new relationships between ourselves, our families, and our holidays. Oh, and by being pretty decent in a car seat.