The Odegaard family: in progress: November bright spots

What I'm thankful for.

Where did November go? It's almost as though I slept through it. Except, strangely, it would be more the opposite...

At any rate, this dark month was brightened by my three little cherubs ("cherubs?") and probably a little too much chocolate.

We kicked November off by introducing Thankful the Turkey, a large paper turkey that lived on our dining room wall and reminded us, by his colorful feathers, that despite cloudy, rainy, cold days when the sun seems to set shortly after our afternoon snack how much we're grateful for. "Fairies" made it up there twice in some form or fashion, and "family and friends" not as much as was deserved. We're also thankful for God and the wonderful things he does (not to be confused with the Wizard of Oz) light, bumblebees and honey, a warm house, crayons and stickers, stuff that we like, things to drink, the new boat, stuffed animals, Thankful the Turkey himself, and much, much more. So much more that Thankful the Turkey eventually bloomed a fully and vibrant tail of colorful, thankful feathers.

Our real Thanksgiving pilgrim meal!

Most of November comprised Naomi's third month of life. She started chewing on her hands, sleeping shorter stretches at night, smiling and talking more, and even laughing, although she was hoarse the first couple times so I couldn't actually hear it. She is still pretty mellow when all her needs are met, and loves to stare at the world around her. Naomi still manages to eek out naps in the carseat when she absolutely has to, but she is not happy about it and needs to be swung or bounced in it for it to happen. Try bouncing 30 pounds of carseat for 30 minutes sometime.

Plus, Naomi has a new trick! Come from far or near to see the amaaazzzinnngg....naaaappppiingg....baaaabbyyyyyyyy!!!!! That's right, Naomi can fall asleep all by herself--sans pacifier, even. As it turns out, November is even darker when spent patting and shushing a baby in a dark room, but the reward is fit even for Thankful the Turkey's plumage. A reliable crib nap that takes all of five minutes to procure has saved the sanity of the entire household--including Naomi, who was getting pretty annoyed with a mommy who couldn't get the whole nap thing right.

Who caught who?

I've been told I even make it look easy. "What an easy, happy baby!" They tell me. Happy, yes. Easy, my foot. Just ask the majority of November.

November got darker when both Elise and Naomi contracted quite bad colds--sending poor Naomi to the doctor, even, due to a temperature. They recovered, as did Naomi's happy napping.

The brightest part of November was, of course, Thanksgiving. Most of our company hadn't yet arrived on Thursday, so we celebrated by watching the parade and welcoming Uncle Tom and Grandpa. We cooked our best guess at a real pilgrim meal: fish, cornbread, hand-shaken butter (our churn was out of order) and green beans. Never mind that the fish was already breaded, frozen and from a box. The girls happily assumed the role of "pilgrim children," sharing a plate, eating with their fingers (to Elise's delight) and standing at the table instead of sitting. Kalina managed to hold to the rule of not talking unless spoken to, but Elise, even after practicing all week, lasted less than 30 seconds.

We dedicated Naomi and Elise at
church!

By Friday evening, a full grouping of family was in attendance for the first time in a long time, so spirits were high. The big girls broke prior eating records by sampling and even downing turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, a little corn casserole and cranberries. Maybe next year they'll appreciate my stuffing? We played games, petted Poky and generally had a wonderful holiday. Naomi hung out on the laps of various family members, glad for the cozy warmth.

And so it was, despite November's best efforts, a wonderfully bright month. Here are a few other highlights: