We’ve had a couple of exciting weeks. Graham’s first birthday was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, when we went to pick him up at school, he had a 104 degree fever. We called the doctors office and they were closed for the day, so we decided to monitor him rather than bring him to the emergency room. His temperature went down with some ibuprofen. (We did bring him to the doctor’s office on Monday and they said it must have been some type of virus.) On Graham’s birthday, we had sausage for dinner because they are one of his favorite foods. Then, we sang him happy birthday and had cupcakes (instead of a big cake.) He got his cupcake everywhere, but seemed to enjoy it. It’s probably the most sugar he’s had in one sitting! Graham received many great gifts from friends and family, and has enjoyed playing with all of them.
The next day was Thanksgiving. We watched the Macy’s Day parade on television while the turkey was cooking. We had talked about going to see the parade in person, but with Graham and others unwell, it was a wise decision to say home. Several hours later, we had a delicious dinner with all of the fixings. We told stories about years past and remarked about how we brought Graham home for the hospital last year just as the turkey was being placed on the table. Graham fussed through dinner last year; I left the table to feed him, so Eoin ate the plate I had fixed for myself. Eoin was so tired (he had stayed up with Graham the night before at the hospital) that he almost fell asleep in the mashed potatoes. We were both so exhausted then. We’re tired now, but a different kind of tired.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving we bundled everyone up and went to the farm and picked out our tree. I don’t know if you remember me mentioning it last year, but we always get a live tree with balled roots; after Christmas, we plant the tree on our property. Our tree selection often depends on what the local nurseries have in stock. This year’s tree is pretty good looking. It’s symmetrical with a full body and straight top. We had the tree delivered and it will stay on our back deck until Christmas eve. We’ll have a yummy Christmas eve supper and then decorate the tree. I can’t wait! I just have to get all of our shopping done before then!
Sending you lots of love,
Eoin, Jessica, and Graham
PS Graham is starting to do arts and crafts at school. He brought home a turkey (that was made from his handprint) and his first crayon drawing. Eoin and I are proud of our budding “artiste”!