Thanksgiving

The last 2 weeks have been an exciting blur. Nancy's mom arrived to see her newest grandson (she has 5 grandsons and Katie). It was nice having our parents together for Thanksgiving and for the first time Katie got to spend time with her grandparents at the same time. Sue and John were kind enough to host a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at the farm. We hadn't seen Theo since August and were amazed at how much he's grown in 3 months.

My mom went shopping on Black Friday and made it back in one piece. I was amazed she braved the crowds. I avoid Target on any random Saturday but she dove right in on the craziest shopping day with no fear. Very impressive.

At the house we mostly spent time chatting, eating, and taking turns holding Peter. Rusty was not used to having to share his couch with so many people. Sometimes he tried to wedge himself between people but mostly he laid on the floor and stared out the storm door.

On Saturday Katie and I took Nancy's mom to the airport for her flight back to Connecticut. It was sad to see her go. Katie insisted on staying until we saw her plane take off, which could have been a problem because we were 90 minutes early. But luckily she thought the next plane that took off was her plane so we were able to leave.

My parents came for a week but stayed for three. They tried really hard to leave earlier but we booked every seat on every plane, train, and bus to Georgia so they had no choice but to stay. It was great having them here. They were extraordinarily helpful with entertaining Katie, getting groceries, and cooking meals. And when Nancy or I were becoming cranky from lack of sleep, it was nice to be able to take a quick nap while they watched the kids. But we could only buy up so many tickets and my parents finally found an available train to Georgia. It was really sad to see them go. Katie woke up the next morning asking for Grandma and Papa.

It seemed appropriate that Peter was born right before Thanksgiving because we were very thankful for all the well-wishes and support we received from our family, friends, and neighbors.

Katie still loves having a brother. The first question she asks when I pick her up from school is, "How's my baby brother and Mommy?" She likes making up songs to sing to him and has danced the Nutcracker for him a few times. She's a natural Sugar Plum Fairy.

Peter is doing great. Each day he has more and more of a personality. He's staying awake more and is moving his arms more and making faces. He also likes grabbing fingers and trying to shove them in his mouth. Today he stayed awake for 4-5 hours in a row which may be a record.

Yesterday Peter had his 2 week checkup and it went really well. The doctor said he is doing great. He's in the 97th percentile for height, 75th for weight, and 50th for head size. The doc said he thought he heard a faint heart murmur. He said it's not uncommon and is probably not indicative of a problem, but wants Peter to see a cardiologist to make sure.

This morning Peter saw a orthopedic doctor at Georgetown Hospital to have his left hip examined for hip dysplesia. When he was born, the pediatrician at the hospital thought there was a chance Peter may need to wear a harness for 6 weeks to ensure his hip bone connects to his leg bone. But the ortho doc today said that Peter's hips look very strong and didn't think he needed the harness. He wants to see us again in 4 months to make sure everything is growing correctly.

And our last doctor visit this week was to Nancy's doctor. Katie, Peter, and I sat quietly in the waiting room while she was checked out. Luckily Peter slept the entire time and Katie was busy trying to learn how to play Solitaire on my phone. Nancy's doctor said she looks great and is recovering very nicely. And best of all, she was cleared to drive again so I can retire (for now) as the family chauffeur.

This week is the first time we've been without our support system. It's been exhausting trying to balance work, chauffeuring, entertaining Katie, keeping Rusty happy, and watching Peter for a bit so Nancy can get some sleep. But we're starting to settle in to a rhythm and will hopefully get some sleep soon.

This weekend may be a busy one. The Del Ray tree lighting is on Friday (with Santa, caroling, and complimentary hot chocolate!), the Alexandria Christmas Parade/Scottish Walk is Saturday afternoon, the Alexandria Christmas boat parade is Saturday night, and Sunday some of the Caps players will be skating at the National Gallery Sculpture Garden ice rink. Also on Sunday we may get some snow.

Enjoy some photos from our couch. More photos are here.