Year: 2008

In Boston Grandma gave me a sippy cup. This is an unusual picture. Mostly I thought the cup was a fun rattle.

I hung out with Grandma and …

… Charlie,

and I helped Grandpa give the dogs their treats.

There was lots of talking and laughing and hugging and kissing.

And then there was a lot of cooking.

Grandma got out her good silver.

And I sat in my new jumper while everyone ate.

But that didn’t last long. So then Grandma held me.

And she let me play with a spoon.

I hung out with Jong,

made this face and

got sleepy.

Dad got out the sweet potatoes and turkey he bought for me for Thanksgiving.

I wore the bib Jenna gave to me,

but I didn’t like the meal very much.

The next day we went to a Christmas tree farm.

It was cold but Dad and Mom kept me warm.

This is the Christmas tree we picked out.

Dad and Grandpa carried it to our car.

That night, I stayed up past my bedtime so I could …

… see my first Christmas tree lights.

When I finally went to bed, Dad read a book Grandma and Aunt Fran made for me. Each page was a crocheted picture Grandma made for my Dad when he was a baby.

Then we drove home. There was a lot of traffic. And a lot of rain.

At one point, we weren’t moving at all. Dad tried to feed me apples and apricots to make me feel better. And that helped. Some.

Mom said we drove more than 2,000 miles altogether. Dad said the time I spent in the car was .67 percent of my life. But if it meant seeing Grandma, Grandpa, Molly, Bonnie, Fran, Susan, Dale and Charlie, I’d do it again. And again. And again.

“In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other’s homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider.” —Cynthia Rylant

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” —Cynthia Ozick

Back when Andy was at OSU, he and his friends started a tradition of cooking a Thanksgiving meal the day of the OSU vs. Michigan game. At the first one, an unhinged door was turned into a serving table and we ate on the floor, plates propped on cardboard boxes. Although everyone has long since graduated, the tradition has continued and this year, Sophie, Tucker, Andy and I drove to Chicago for the occasion.

We arrived at our hotel well past midnight Friday night.

We had to sneak Tucker in (Andy’s idea, not mine). Sophie thought this was hilarious.

More than 30 people showed up to watch the game and eat the food. Todd’s parents graciously hosted the event.

Sophie wore her OSU jersey and OSU won.

The food, as always, was delicious. And friends from as far away as Berkeley, Calif. and New York City came for the event, as they do every year. Thank you, cooks, and thank you, friends. We’re already looking forward to next year.

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” —W.J. Cameron

“I see you.”

I’ve been waiting a long time to show Sophie her first snow. So when a few flakes started falling last week, I quickly fed her some rice cereal, put her in her snow suit and, because it really wasn’t collecting on the ground, decided we’d go for a morning run. (This jogging stroller is my most recent Craigslist purchase. Clearly I need to adjust the straps the next time we go running.) I laugh when I look at this picture. Sophie looks like she’s thinking, Seriously? This is who I got as my mother?

But we had fun.

“Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.” —Bill Watterson

Saturday Sophie and I went to the Holiday Market with Tari, Whitney and Lauren. The girls were dressed quite differently compared to our last adventure out. Sophie and I felt a little bit like celebrities walking around the market with Tari and her twins. People kindly stepped to the side to let our strollers through and so many people commented on the babies, many thinking they were triplets. Although I ended up carrying Sophie most of the time (really wish she liked her sling; should have brought the Baby Bjorn) the girls were happy most of the time. I just hope Sophie didn’t pay too close attention when I bought one of her Christmas presents from The Spotted Goose’s booth!

“Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine out of 10 people couldn’t start a conversation.” —Kin Hubbard

“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.” —Rod Schmidt

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV until a child is two years old. And I think I agree with that. Often I put my iPod on shuffle and we listen (and dance) to that. Or we simply enjoy the quiet. Of course, this doesn’t mean Andy and I have banned TV altogether. I watch the news in the morning and I like to watch a rerun of Gilmore Girls in the afternoon. And lately, football is always on on the weekends. But when the TV is on I try to keep Sophie busy with her toys. And usually, that works. Until I turned on Sesame Street.

I think Sesame Street is a good show. But given that Sophie is only 7-1/2 months old, I didn’t think she’d care about it. Oh, was I wrong. So are shows like Sesame Street OK if they’re on in the background? But if on, would they really be “in the background?” Or would she watch intently, eyes glazing over, numb to everything tactile around her? And then there’s the show Signing Time. We’re trying to teach Sophie sign language and everyone has said Signing Time is a great learning tool. So should that show be allowed?

“All television is educational television. The question is: What is it teaching?” —Nicholas Johnson

“Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions.” —David Borenstein