This is our 3rd Thanksgiving holiday with the girls and we have so much to be thankful for. The girls were still in the NICU on their first Thanksgiving. It was also the first Thanksgiving that Steve and I did not spend with our parents and extended families. When we first started dating, we would typically make 2 trips on Thanksgiving day. We would spend the day at my grandparents house, stuff ourselves and get sleepy and then drive an hour and a half to eat a 2nd dinner with Steve’s family.
Over the last few years, the family get togethers have changed. My grandmother died shortly before Steve and I were married which has changed my family traditions tremendously. My grandmother was like the glue that kept my extended family together and now that she's gone, we have found ourselves trying to make new traditions.
So that first Thanksgiving with the girls was not how we envisioned it would be. They were still in the hospital and like every other day, we spent most of the day there with them. We had been given high hopes that Riley would already be home with us by Thanksgiving, but then her weekly eye exam with the Ophthalmologist threw a wrench in the plans when he discovered that she was developing abnormal blood vessel growth and could possibly require laser surgery. Aside from that issue, our girls had been moved to one of the less intensive wings in the NICU and they were being co-bedded while getting better at bottle feeding and growing. We bought a Thanksgiving dinner from Raley’s and Steve and I had our own little dinner with just the two of us at home that evening.
Last year, was really our first official Thanksgiving with the girls. They were able to eat turkey and potatoes along with the rest of us and were just starting to take steps to become toddling walkers! They also took their first bath together in the big tub on Thanksgiving morning 2006.
This year, I feel like ALL of us are really growing up. It is amazing how much the girls have grown and developed in just a years time. From babbling and crawling to talking, walking, running, jumping and climbing! Steve and I have also officially moved into adulthood because we are hosting dinner at our house this year. We are responsible for cooking the entire Thanksgiving meal. Wow! Let’s hope it turns out well. I am prepping as much as I can tonight so that I am not a crazy lunatic on Thanksgiving day.
Makena, Alyssa and Riley....thank you for all the joy and laughter you bring into our lives everyday. Here are a few things I wanted to remember about what you are up to right now.
As a trio
♥You still like to run from us when it is time to change diapers, clothes, put on shoes, eat…whatever we want you to do…you take off running in the other direction
♥You love to dance
♥You drive mommy crazy by spitting out your milk or water onto the floor and then smearing it all over with your hands or feet.
♥You love bath time
♥You love to play in the dirt or mud or just be outside in general!
♥You love to snuggle with mom or dad
♥You will usually give hugs or kisses when asked
♥You love to read books
Makena
♥I once coined you as my mellow baby, but you have turned into my tantrum-throwing girl…you can scream and thrash around on the floor like nobody’s business and you show a stubborn streak that was most likely inherited from your daddy!
♥You are very protective of mommy lately. If you see one of your sister’s headed in my direction you will race to get to me first while yelling "No-no-no!" If sister beats you, you scream and cry like the world is ending. And don’t try to make you share mommy’s lap. You push Alyssa and Riley away and tell them “no.”
♥You love your blankies and have a preference for a particular type of blankie. Thankfully we have several of your favorite blankies in the house that are interchangeable for you!
♥When you are sleepy you like to tuck the blankie over the top of your pacifier and rub the edge of it between your fingers
♥You are my best vegetable eater.
♥You cry right when you wake up and want mommy to come get you. You have started to wake up much earlier than your sisters between 6:30 and 7:00 every morning.
♥You are very ticklish. When I have to change your shirt, you refuse to lift up your arms and giggle loudly when I try to get your shirt off.
Alyssa
♥ You are my sensitive girl who will produce crocodile tears within seconds. You are also the quickest to give a smile.
♥ You are my little collector who loves to carry things around in a container or purse…when those are unavailable you’ll use your clothes to store things in. I have to do a pat down before putting you to bed at night to remove all the toys from your jammies.
♥You are always up for a snack and like to go through a list of food or drink hoping that mommy will give in to a request (Usually starts with cookie then cracker then banana or milk etc)
♥You often offer up binkies or toys to your sisters when they are upset. But in the next moment you enjoy stealing a binky right out of Makena or Riley's mouth or just swapping theirs out for yours!
♥You like to relax in your crib when you wake up. Rarely do you cry for someone to come and get you. We usually peek in and find that you are awake in your crib enjoying your “alone” time.
♥You always smell like cookies in the morning! It must be the vanilla scented binkies you sometimes have, but the smell sticks to you while it doesn’t with your sisters!
♥You love to play with cars and dump trucks and love to follow Evan around when we are playing outside. At this point he’s not interested in your attention, but some day he’ll be happy you are around!
♥You love to yell out “mama” “dada” or “Ri-Ri” at random times throughout the day. Sometimes we are in the same room or you might be around the corner. You never want anything from us but will shout at us over and over until we holler back. Sometimes you keep shouting at us even when we’ve answered you. You also call both Makena and Riley “Ri-Ri.”
Riley
♥You love to cuddle and sit on mommy’s lap. You like to be tickled and will ask for mommy or daddy to tickle you over and over.
♥You love to be the center of attention and can often “take over” an activity by barging right into the middle of it.
♥You love to “race” around the front room. You often just take off running back and forth and you giggle like you are having the time of your life. You really like it when mommy or daddy chases you and when we pick you up you say "Caught you!"
♥You pull the collar of your shirt up and try to get it in your mouth along with your binkie when you are sleepy. You end up slobbering all over yourself when you sleep. This results in a distinctive “spit” smell when you wake up that only mommy and daddy can appreciate.
♥You are a little parrot and like to repeat lots of new words you hear.
♥One of your favorite phrases is “Hold you mama” or “Hold you dada.” You melt our hearts every time we hear you say it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
