Thanksgiving week

We're settling back into life at home with a busy week and recuperating from all our travels last week with sleep training and salads for dinner. Our Thanksgiving this year was wonderful and, like every other holiday since June, completely different from past years. Because I have a baby now, and that changes everything. No, really, it's cliche for a reason.

The little miss did great on our long drive to west Texas. We left Tuesday at morning nap time, so she slept for a while, we made a few stops to change diapers and feed her, and she slept some more. Husband and I listened to Son by Lois Lowry, and it was pretty good. It definitely made the time in the car easier. There were lots of gracious family members who prepared food and lodgings for us, and we promised the baby we wouldn't get near a car on Wednesday or Thursday, so that's what we did.

She has a turkey on her bottom because that really amps up the holiday cuteness quota.

Deceptively not-sleepy face at the breakfast table

Don't let her face fool you. She gobbled up that rice cereal.

However, our sweet baby decided her not-so-great sleep should be infinitely worse while traveling. She woke up every 2 hours most nights and I ended up feeding her 4-5 times with Husband rocking her in between. We dreamt of sleep training in the few spurts of sleep we got. It was made bearable by all the awesome relatives more than happy to love on our girl while we napped and tried to "sleep in" after passing her off in the morning. We also fed her rice cereal for the first times in hopes that a full tummy would help her sleep. No such luck, but she definitely charmed large audiences with her eating skills.

Back to the fun parts of our trip: we had a delicious meal on Thursday, got lots of visiting time, and took lots of pictures. On Friday, we drove to see Husband's grandma and his aunt stopped by to visit as well. We were fed well again and treated to lots of good conversation and doting on our precious girl. I'm so grateful we could see them both and the little miss could see Grandma Claudia's house and classroom at the high school and spend some time with her and her great aunt (or to be technically correct according to Husband, her grand aunt).

On the drive back to my aunt and uncle's, baby girl had the nastiest blowout. I discovered it by feel since we were driving in semidarkness and used up all the wipes when we stopped at a gas station. She definitely kept us on our toes while on the road.

We had breakfast Saturday with my extended family and then headed to my parents' house to break up our travels home. We went to early service with my parents and sister on Sunday morning, had brunch, and then headed home.

Life is indescribably different with a baby, but the sweet moments abound, and it means the world to me when I can hold her in my arms. Even if she just pooped all over everything after not letting me get a wink of sleep. That's love, my friends, and I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with an incredible Husband and partner in this parenthood thing and a beautiful, awe-inspiring little girl.

I hope your Thanksgiving adventures involved more rest and just as much love and gratitude as mine.