I know people love Christmas and, totally, I get it! But have you guys heard of Thanksgiving?? It’s the meal and the family and the time off from work, but without having to buy any presents! Sounds pretty good to me 😋 Felt like we had a lot to be thankful for this year and we did our best to think about those things, even though this year has been one of such loss as well. I’m perhaps insane for offering to host Thanksgiving for 15 people at 36 weeks pregnant, but Joey handled all the cooking and most of the set up, so I was able to just sit back, watch the parade with Demps and hang out with our family 🥰 It was a really good weekend. We even got ALL our Christmas shopping done and watched three whole movies!

For us, Thanksgiving Eve is a thing and on Thanksgiving Eve, we eat ramen! We had it delivered and did some table set up while we waited for it to arrive. You don’t know the joy it brings my heart to see Dempsey eating his steamed bun and ramen with us. I dreamed of adding kids to this tradition for so long and my dream has come true 🤍 No pressure, but hopefully baby sis is a ramen lover too!

Taught Dempsey to say “gobble, gobble” then headed downstairs for breakfast and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Considered making us some slow scrambled eggs, toast and bacon and then I felt tired just thinking about it, so crockpot apple pie oats to the rescue. Just stirred it all up, put it in bowls, added some toppings and we were good to go! Joey had gotten up early to go on a run and then headed into the kitchen and I don’t think he ever left 😂 Meanwhile, Dempsey and I watched the parade and he kept saying he wanted the big turkey float down and to pop all the balloons 😂😂 I told Joey I thought I was my happiest self watching this parade with a cup of coffee every year, but nothing compares to cuddling on the couch with my toddler while watching it! He was particularly enraptured by The Rockettes and we had to rewind and watch their performance a second time. He had just enough time to see Santa’s arrival before he went down for his nap.

Table set, turkey ready (we did a dry brine with an heirloom turkey this year and I thought it turned out so so good!), Dempsey up and guests arrived, so it was time to eat! Everything tasted so good 🤤 Dempsey was loving the turkey and not much else, but I’ll still call it a win. Tried to get a family photo outside and Dempsey was so hellbent on being put down so he could plug in the inflatable turkey, so most of the pictures were maybe us laughing at him being upset, oops! My sis had on a new engagement ring that my mom and I didn’t notice for close to an hour 🤦‍♀️ We knew they had bought one but it was still so exciting to see in person and I could not be happier for she and Wayne! Managed to get a group photo this year and then someone was smart enough to get a photo of the boys in their Cowboys jerseys. My sis, Wayne and Lori were last to leave and they had our whole kitchen cleaned up by the time they left, so I’m super grateful for them! Just a really nice day 🤍

Found the energy to make that slow scramble, bacon and toast on Friday morning and then the rest of the day was very chill. It was warm enough to take a walk around the block and once outside, I realized it’d been too long since I’d been outside. I definitely kept up with walking all through my pregnancy with Dempsey but man, I am just tired and in pain this time around and it’s been much easier to NOT make it a priority to get in some fresh air and a little exercise. Getting in this small walk felt so good though! We also used Dempsey’s nap time to get ALL of our Christmas shopping done. It’s going to be a storm of deliveries for the next week or so but I am so glad to have it all done. No idea what we spent the rest of the day doing but we did start Weird: The Al Yankovic Story before I realized Joey and I were both dozing off 😂

Started Saturday at Sassafras and Dempsey was being very silly with his spoon. He also kept asking for bites of butter 😂 A little bit later, he and Joey left with the stroller for a run and I left a few minutes after and walked the world’s slowest walk to meet them at the park. It’s not so bad today, but I have been in such pelvic pain 😫 Rolling back and forth during the night has been hell and I have to sit down any time I put socks or shoes or pants on because standing on one leg is torture. As long as she’s good and ready, it’s totally fine with me if this baby wants to be born a week or two early 😋 Finished our movie during Dempsey’s nap and what hilarious absurdity! I learned literally nothing about Weird Al’s career but I laughed a lot. I’ve been making “hay boy” jokes ever since.

Once Dempsey was up, we swapped out our fall decor for our Christmas stuff, made a quick decision to order in Indian food (we tried a new place and it wasn’t as good as Spice Room but Dempsey ate three servings of butter chicken and the heartburn I had was just my normal daily heartburn and not extra hot heartburn, so it’s a win), ate said Indian food, then decorated the Christmas tree. Instagram had me convinced it was going to be a magical time of having my toddler help hang up ornaments then peacefully placing the star on top the tree but then it was mostly Joey and I hanging up ornaments while I tried to stop Dempsey from plugging and unplugging the lights on the tree then him not being able to get the star on the top because the branches were too thin and he didn’t like being up so high 😂😂😂 After his bedtime, we watched The Wonder and I thought it was super interesting. Florence Pugh forever, ya know?

How great is a four day weekend?? We had Sunday to fit in our usual pancake day and the chocolate chunks I used because we were out of chocolate chips were only borderline too much 😋 I almost let this weekend pass by without arranging for a trip to the movie theater but luckily my sis and Wayne were available to babysit on Sunday, so we grabbed tickets to The Fablemans. I thought it was really good! I didn’t know anything about Steven Spielberg’s early life, so I learned a lot, plus it’s just nice to watch an extremely well-crafted film by someone who really knows what they’re doing. Every shot was just so beautiful! Spent the evening watching Joey put up the Christmas village with Dempsey’s “help” then we finished up our Thanksgiving leftovers so I guess that’s a wrap on Thanksgiving 2022! Put Dempsey to bed and watched the newest episode of The White Lotus. I hope you got the balance of rest and productivity you needed this weekend. Happy Monday!

Whew, we had a productive and busy weekend and I am feeling it today! Or maybe I’m just 35 weeks pregnant and everything hurts?? The Braxton Hicks are near constant and my pelvis feels broken. I don’t remember being this uncomfortable with Dempsey, but I’m just doing my best to remind myself we’re almost there. I don’t remember getting that nesting bug with Dempsey either but it hit me hard on Friday, which means the crib is set up, the room is re-arranged, the mini-crib is in our room and ALL THE CLOTHES are washed and hung up. Feels so good! Plus we had an early Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday and a concert on Sunday, so it’s definitely feeling like the holidays and that feels so good too 😊

Friday night burgers and crib set up! Dempsey was sick all week with a nasty cough and I was praying it didn’t turn out to be RSV or that Joey and I would be next but I’m happy to report he’s much much better and both parents seem to have avoided contracting whatever he had. We celebrated Friday with burgers from Park Burger and one of the things I love best about Joey is that if I suddenly decide I want to do a project, he jumps on board and gets it done immediately. He and Dempsey started putting the crib together before dinner, then finished up afterward and oooo, it’s so cute! We played around with where we wanted to put everything, but this is the final decision. I love how the pink looks! After Dempsey went to bed, we watched the GBBO final and even though I sort of wanted Sandro to pull it out, Syabira was my other season-long favorite, so I was thrilled for her!

Lots more baby prep on Saturday! Joey was going so hard on the furniture re-arrangement and laundry and I kept reminding him it was only Saturday. That’s how the other side of the room looks and yes, it’s a little bit busy and crowded but I kind of like it! Dempsey only cried and pretended to fall down on the ground and not be able to get up without help a few times while the attention was not solely on him, so that’s a good sign, right?? 😂 During nap time, I sat down and finished this book of essays that I liked but didn’t love. I related so much to some of the stuff she wrote about motherhood but I didn’t really feel like it had a narrative progression and I wanted it to. I’ve been book-less for two days now because the library is closed Sunday and Monday and it’s been torture! After Dempsey’s nap, we all got ready and headed over to Steve and Lorna’s to celebrate Thanksgiving and it was a very nice evening. A holiday season without alcohol is sort of depressing but I got to hold Delaney and watch Dempsey hand out candy to everyone, so that was fun 🥰

Sunday started with bagel sandwiches. Dempsey and I chilled on the couch while Joey picked them up. I gave Joey some very Sally Albright-esque instructions on what kind of coffee drink I wanted 😂 and Dempsey, of course, wanted a vanilla steamer. Afterward, we hung up all the baby clothes Joey washed on Saturday plus all the bows and headbands we received at the sprinkle and whether she wears them or not, the display is cute! Her mini-crib is housing stuffed animals right now, otherwise, it’s ready to go! Before lunch, Dempsey helped me make cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. He’s my favorite sous chef!

My parents came over a little bit later, so Joey, Lori, Chad, Lauren, Adam and I could all go to dinner and a concert. We hit up Bar Dough and it did not disappoint! Garlic bread, pizza, cacio e pepe and pork milanese. All so so good. Then we headed over to Ball Arena to see a sold out Pentatonix show. They were so good! Joey and I were kind of surprised when they took a fifteen minute intermission, but staying out late on a Sunday night every once in a while is okay. That last picture is meant to show you how bright it gets just from everyone holding up their phone flashlight! Back at home, we released my parents who reported that Dempsey was a good boy and went to sleep easy and that’s what I like to hear. Happy Thanksgiving week!