Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, and I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday.

Things I'm thankful for at this moment:

• Ian, who is waiting his time to arrive but is happily anticipated.
• Drew, who is presently "bowling" in our living room (which involves a small toy ball, 3-5 empty plastic bottles, and the living room table). Extra points for the fact that he pulled a well-sealed sippy out and set it aside, saying, "It has water in it." Yes it does, and thank you.
• A warm, comfortable home.
• The internet.
• All of you. Yes, you.
• A leisurely day, in which I can laze about.
• Good food. I admit that rotisserie chicken from the grocery is not the same as turkey, but it is close enough that we'll have a decent Thanksgiving-like dinner. Minus the pie, because there weren't any sugar-free, and if I bought pie I would eat it. Heh.
• My life has all sorts of minor little irritations, discomforts, and need for extra rest right now. I am so very thankful that those are all it contains, and that almost all of them (other than the cat kneading his claws in the back of my knee this morning, ow!) are attributable to pregnancy and most should get better after Ian arrives (not so much the 'extra rest' but it will at least be slightly different).

It feels weird to be thankful for the annoyances, but when I look at what others are dealing with? I'm incredibly grateful that the annoyances are all I have - and that I have the energy and focus to care about such relatively minor things.

I am thankful most days, really - but many I don't articulate it to myself, and certainly never write it up. So I'm kind of glad to have a day with a name that reminds me to consider these things.

I am wistful for not seeing Aunt Julia & Uncle John and their family and guests this year for Thanksgiving. But I don't think driving an hour+ from home today would be all that wise a choice, nor would it have been any wiser if Ian were here and just a few days old. I've been going through my pictures from last year's Thanksgiving, and I think I may open a can of olives for a snack plate later, too, after being reminded of this one where someone (ahem, maybe even me) had introduced Drew to the concept that olives can be placed on fingers and eaten off them:

Thanksgiving Food went well.

Which is impressive. I don't normally cook, especially things as complex as Thanksgiving, and I didn't think this was the year to start. I had visions of a turkey thawed in the refrigerator, or worse in the oven half-cooked, when I went into labor. Plus, who needs a whole turkey (even a small one) for two adults and a toddler?

So I got a rotisserie chicken already cooked (I know!), packaged stuffing, canned cranberry sauce (my favorite kind anyway), canned green beans, etc. You name it, I cheated it into Thanksgiving dinner.

Net result: first, I brought out a snack tray around maybe 10. Drew was ALL over it. Two kinds of meat, two kinds of cheese, three kinds of crackers, pickle slices, and black olives. I think Drew ate half a can of black olives, and for sure a lot of meat and cheese.

We had Thanksgiving dinner about 1:15 or 1:30 and Drew had some green beans (not bad, all things considered, and he ate all he took!), and decent helpings of peaches, stuffing, and cranberry sauce (well, a whole slice of it, which is a lot for a 2-year-old...technically two slices, but the second was mushed up without eating when he got full!). And a glass of milk. What he didn't have any of, even to put on his plate, was the chicken. I was baffled, but considering that he had plenty of meat off the snack tray earlier, that's not too bad.

I probably should've had a second vegetable to tempt him (and us), but we had enough left-overs as it was.

For a Thanksgiving dinner planned around minimal waste (mostly the chicken) if we had to defer it a few days, and one for just our small family, I think that actually worked fairly well.

Me, I could've eaten beef barley soup and been content with the day. But it mattered to me to give Drew something of a "normal" Thanksgiving food-wise, even with all the limitations on how we did it. And given his enthusiasm for the food, I think it worked okay.

Now to see if a Thanksgiving nap is possible. For him, I mean. I'm definitely needing one.

'Tis the Season

I've already been asked what I want, Scott wants, and Drew wants for Christmas. And even what we want for Ian. (Not all by the same person, either.) Therefore, it is wishlist time. This is not a begging for stuff - we don't need any of this - it's just a "what'd be nice" for those who want it.

[Edited 11/25/2011: Scott's wishlist added.]

( Wishlists )

Edited 11/27/2011 to add: Also, I'd love to get a Harry & David fruit club subscription, of whatever length, for the family - light size only, please, more is more than we need (though if we end up with more, I'll share). Hard to wish list these as they come in different lengths and all. Please just the fruit, not their candy, nuts, pastries, etc. While I like candies and pastries (and have to avoid the nuts), it's the fruit I covet. :)

None of this is necessary, but I figured it was time to put it up for those who want it. :)