Baby's a Kicking and Thanksgiving Update

Today is the first day that I felt the baby move A LOT. I felt a flutter the day before Thanksgiving and a few times after that (usually when I lie down to sleep) but it wasn't until today that the baby was really moving and shaking! It was so exciting. I even saw my tummy push out a bit which I was quite surprised by being that the baby is, according to thebump.com, the size of an onion. I even asked Trent where the baby was. He gently lifted my shirt a little bit and kissed my stomach. I think my heart melted. Things are definitely getting more and more real (as if the growing tummy wasn't enough)!

Now on to a quick update on our Thanksgiving....

All in all, it was good. I'm still trying to recover and Trent still is not napping well, if at all, (trying to nap last week with two screaming cousins, their mother who was usually screaming as well, 3 dogs, a buzzed husband, etc., was nearly impossible) but we lived through the first Thanksgiving that we hosted. Thankfully, my mother-in-law and I got along beautifully, the deep-fried turkey was fabulous, and my brother-in-laws last minute lobster was delectable.

Unfortunately, my stuffing was dry as who know what because it had to be cooked before my sister-in-law cooked her famous sweet potato soufflé which took well over the hour she claimed it would take so my poor stuffing had to sit on the counter for quite some time. I was given strict instructions to not open the oven door for fear that the soufflé would not rise properly so my stuffing suffered, as did my green bean casserole, which had to sit in the oven with the soufflé and cook twice the allotted time because again, I was not allowed to open the darn oven door!

What is a family get together without a little drama? Believe me, there was a bit of that to go around as well but I fear that some people would no longer talk to me if I detailed it all here :)

So, what did I learn from hosting our first holiday at our home? First, five days with some family members in what we were told is a "small house" in our little "po-dunk town" may be a little too long. Second, I am very thankful to my mother-in-law and pregnant sister-in-law who helped me so much in the kitchen both with cooking and cleaning after dinner because I thought my feet and back were going to break after standing for so long. Lastly, forgo the fancy soufflé in favor of the standard and fattening, yams smothered in brown sugar and marshmallows so that all dishes have a chance of surviving!

I am so thankful to have an insanely hard-working and loving husband, the cutest and most loving son and great family and friends who I love, quirks and all :)