Thankful

This past weekend we celebrated American Thanksgiving. It was a bittersweet one. On the one hand, Lola got to visit Allentown for the first times, she met so many friends and family, it snowed at just the right time making everything feel so festive, and we all laughed a lot and ate a lot.

 But, we were missing a lot of our family this year - Sean had to work, three of our Thanksgiving regulars had to be elsewhere for the first time in years - and it was our first Thanksgiving without Uncle Rich.

Despite all of this, it didn't feel as sad as I thought it would. I mean, it didn't feel the same as years prior but it didn't feel sad, and I was happy for that. Instead, it felt like the last of the hard things to get through and the end of the challenging year we had with so much loss and so much worry. Last year at this time Uncle Rich was so sick, Nonno had just passed away, Oscar the dog was only getting worse, and though we didn't know it at the time, Grandpa was a few weeks away from what would be a four-month touch and go hospital stay. Everything just felt so tinged with sadness and everything felt off.

And Christmas was tough too. With Grandpa in the hospital, mom and dad stayed in Oakville. And even though we all tried our best, Nonno's missing presence was a huge weight on the festivities.

So, to feel positive this Thanksgiving - the start of the holiday season - was a huge relief and I think a great sign of things to come. Having Lola here this year certainly helps too. Its a new time in our families, the start of new traditions, the beginning again.

Lola and I really, really missed Sean and it was so weird not having him around with us. There were certainly no shortage of helping hands though. Whenever I needed a second to myself (or even when I didn't!), Lola always had someone ready and willing to hold her, even if she was crying up a storm! That in and of itself was a vacation for me.

 I felt so relaxed and I got to go about my day in a way quite similar to how I might have had I not had a little baby to contend with. And at the same time I got my special time with Lola when she needed to eat or when I put her to bed. The best of both worlds.

The absolute best moment of our time in Allentown was when four of us (Me, Nanny, Aunt Gail, and Aunt Renee) ALL gave Lola a bath. It was hilarious, four of us crammed into the bathroom with Lola looking at us like what is all this about? At the Bailey's, each room has its own thermostat so we cranked up the heat in the bathroom and it was like a spa in there...well for Lola, the rest of us were sweating as we fussed over the baby and tried to figure out how to best go about this. It was the best.

More to say about the weekend - including some pictures from our time in NJ - but as we are still recovering from our trip, including Lola experiencing the woes of trying to sleep with a cold, we are off to rest our heads.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend (whether you're American or not!)

And special congratulations to Larissa on the birth of her baby girl, Eve, born Thanksgiving morning! xo