Since Jonathan had to work all week, we didn't do all that much in the way of Thanksgiving celebrations. I did take Abby over to Uncle Tim & Aunt Amy's house for the huge Thanksgiving feast hosted by Jonathan's mom's side of the family. Abby enjoyed herself as usual.
She had her first real meal of table food - Honeybaked ham, green beans, and a roll. I later learned that she had a bite of cake when I wasn't looking as well. She loved ham & green beans. These remain two of her favorite table foods well after Christmas.
Abby also showed off her new walking/running skills in the wide open space of Uncle Tim's new finished basement. I had quite a time keeping her out of the game room where all the action was happening. It just didn't seem like Abby and a room full of teens/tweens with pool balls and cue sticks would be a winning combination at this point.
Clapping with Nana Diana
"I've got places to go. See ya."
Abby did manage to spend a good bit of time playing on relatives' cell phones. This was a special treat, as real cell phones are off limits at home.
Intense concentration
"I'm definitely getting away with something here!"
We had Thanksgiving supper at Su-Su's. Abby indulged in turkey and more green beans before brushing up on her Super Mario strategy.
One year ago...
Last year was Abby's first Thanksgiving. She was just over three weeks old. We were still strictly following the pediatrician's suggestion of no large crowds or major outings before the age of six to eight weeks. Aunt Janet & Su-Su came over and brought us Thanksgiving dinner at home. It was Abby's first time getting dressed up for a holiday. Her newborn size outfit from Aunt Diane was very roomy but so cute.
Jonathan and I were exhausted. We were coming off of a forty-eight hour stretch that we ultimately determined must have been a three-week growth spurt. During this time, our previously low-maintenance newborn who had adhered roughly to the three-hour schedule imposed on her in the Special Care Nursery became very high maintenance. During daylight hours, she alternated one hour of nursing with one hour of sleep. At night, she alternated eating drowsily and refusing to sleep unless she was held. Just when we were at our wits' end and ready to make hasty vows about having only one child, Abby mercifully went back to normal about daylight on Thanksgiving morning. Talk about being thankful! I know that some babies are high maintenance like this for several months instead of just a few days. We were very blessed to get only a tiny taste of this experience.
The three-week growth spurt struck fear in my heart with regard to future growth spurts, but Abby never had another dramatic, well-defined growth spurt like the first. When I look back at pictures now, I can see that around 3 weeks was when Abby left behind the skinny look and started to sport a little pudge . That makes me feel pretty convinced about the growth spurt.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving
The Friday after Thanksgiving
Okay, now that I've viewed several photos from this time period, I may be overstating the difference. I guess it's just my need to assign that rough 48-72 hours some lasting significance.
The weekend after Thanksgiving was the first time Brooke got to hold Abby. It was very sweet and they have been crazy about each other every since.
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