So Much to Give Thanks For

I'm hoping each and every one of you had a great Thanksgiving, full of reflection on so much in life to be thankful for, good turkey, family and/or friends, and a little something to take the edge off (whether that be a bottle of Trader Joe's $5 finest or a straight shot from the whipped cream can). This year, we have a very obvious reason to be thankful. We are celebrating just over two weeks as new parents to one very special boy. I can't think of a better time for Ian to come home than the holidays. Unfortunately, my parents have recently realized their dream of kissing the Washington weather goodbye and are now living their retirement dream in sunny Arizona. This means missing out on one of my mom's greatest talents: Entertaining during the holidays. Hopefully we can have a belated turkey sandwich by the pool in a few weeks when Ian and I fly down for a visit.

Today, we started out the day be celebrating Ian's second night of sleeping all the way through. He woke up happy and playful after 10 hours of restful sleep with no 1am panic attacks. Polli also slept in her crate through the night without barking, which has also been a bit of a challenge after coming home. We felt like the proudest and most well rested parents on the block. I think it's safe to say the jet lag is almost behind us, as is the majority of our cold issues.

Today was also a very important day because it was Ian's big day to meet Shawn's parents, Grandpa Tom and Grandma Trish for the first time. He started out a bit shy, having just woken from a nap, but was soon giggling and playful. He ate his first Thanksgiving dinner of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and finely chopped turkey. He ate a ton and probably would have gladly had more if we had kept going.

He was a real charmer and could have cared less about being held today. He was on the floor, crawling everywhere, and even laying with Polli. They were playing together like they had been best buddies forever. Shawn's parents were smitten with him, of course, and it was an all around great day.

Within minutes after they left, he reverted back to his "hold me now" and "oh no, the scary dog" routine, but he was also exhausted by then, too...so there's still hope that this was not just a "showing off for the grandparents" thing.

Below are some great pictures of the day:

Ian's first hug from Grandma Trish

Playing with Grandpa Tom

Bundling up for our after dinner walk

Thank goodness someone else was here to hold him for a while!

The Boy and his Bulldog... Becoming buddies despite their arguments

Ian and Polli playing with a bowl and a ball... This kept them both entertained for quite a while

Saying goodbye to Grandma Trish...She finally stopped crying shortly after this picture