Adwoa und Ama

J(Nine) was called up out of the bullpen to perform the fancy cutting on Gina’s perfectly cooked turkey. I was really impressed with Gina and Andy’s Thanksgiving party. Liz and I agree that we don’t think we would ever be able to pull something like that off. It was also a nice opportunity to see their beautiful house. There was a lot of room for E to run around and she took full advantage. She must have said “Daauug” about 1000 times.

It was a strange coincidence, but there was a dog show on TV too. Above E is pointing out yet another “Daauuug” on the TV above the fireplace. You can see Andy running a last minute errand in the background.

After dinner we all sat around and talked. No major political arguments. I think there were a few Republicans there, but even my dad has given up on Bush. You can see Uncle David above– he and Aunt Cecilia doted on E, too. There’s no doubt that they love babies!

Throughout the weekend, E was being her best self. She didn’t have any significant meltdowns the whole time. We were pretty happy. Of course, getting all the attention she got, how could she be upset?

And Grandma had bought a few yummy treats for E that really came in handy at those moments when she might have been tempted to go over the edge. Teddy Grahams work wonders.

Grandma and Grandpa (”Bepa”, according to E) had a Russian “matrushka” doll (where there is a big doll with smaller dolls inside) that they had been given by a friend. They gave it to E to play with and it was a big hit. She played with the doll over the course of the weekend and learned how to say “open” because she wanted us to open it for her. It kept her quite entertained, taking out the “babies” and putting them back in. Over and over again. The matrushka came back to Apex with us.

All in all, a smiley visit for all.

Claw and Order added here.

We had a great time visiting family in Illinois. There were very few problems on the flight back. E slept the whole way. I’ve started to sort through last weekend’s pictures, but I’m running out of steam. Above is a picture taken at Gina’s (my/Mike’s cousin)house during Thanksgiving dinner. Grandpa put off his dinner and held E during a much needed nap. That may be one of the few photos that I have of E in her holiday dress. We all had a fun time. Besides the great company and food, E was able to chase Negra (Gina’s dog) around the house. She also found time to make Grandma laugh so hard that she cried, by making her cat “Meow” noises. I think that Thanksgiving menus will continue to be refined until there are only 3 or 4 dishes. We can get by fine on Gina’s mash potatos, Nine’s salsa, my Mom’s sweet potato dish and Uncle David’s cake roll. After those, things like the turkey or stuffing are just sides.

E still has a high fever and is a sad little girl right now. I think her teeth are hurting too. I hope the fever breaks soon. While home from work, I put together some video that Liz and I took of E last weekend. You may not be able to understand any of her words. Liz and I can though. Her latest ones are “up” and “down”. She says them when she does/doesn’t want to be held. Today she raised her arms, squeezed her fingers and said “up” a lot.

To hear a few words, click here.