The Best Laid Plans

When I called my parents to let them know on Wednesday that my daughter's pediatrician declared her too ill to be around her ailing great grandpa for Thanksgiving, my dad's reply was, "The best laid plans.... Welcome to the world of parenthood." Not only did the doctor say we couldn't go, she said she we absolutely should not let Baby Bean around him because she could be he cause of doing him in. The poor little darling was soooo sick. The sickest she has been yet.

Remember how I said I had to go get her from daycare on Tuesday? Well, I wasted no time getting her a doctor appointment Wednesday morning. We were at the doctor for over an hour and a half while she was tested for the flu, given a major shot of antibiotics to both legs to hopefully speed the recovery of her ear infection, had a complete blood count drawn, and had to wait to ensure there was no allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Let me tell you, that was the hardest day of my parenting career so far. It was miserable for my child. She fell asleep in my arms many times only to be woken for shots or finger pricks. I couldn't wait to get her out of there. She was so sick and miserable she literally spent the rest of the day sleeping. It took moving a mountain to get her to wake up long enough to eat a bottle and then she was right back out.

I called my husband as soon as I found out we weren't going to his grandpa's, and then called my MIL to let her know. Here is the amazing thing, I didn't panic. I was now looking at Thanksgiving for 2.5 and had nothing for it at home, or so I thought. I asked my MIL to send me a recipe for one of Hub's all-time favorite dishes. She sent me two, one for spinach Madeline and one for chocolate pecan pie. So that night after the baby was in bed, I went to the grocery store to grab the necessary missing ingredients and a turkey breast.

If this was going to be our first Thanksgiving at home and alone, I was going to make it great dang it! I was amazed at just how many ingredients I already had on hand. Last night I stayed up to prep the spinach and pie, both of which turned out awesome! I didn't think to buy a pie crust at the store, but by some miracle had one pack of graham crackers at home, which turned into the most delicious crust.

I went all out. I made turkey, spinach Madeline, cheesy garlic potatoes with turkey gravy, stuffing, squash, rolls, and chocolate pecan pie. I have been so proud of myself all day, and I was literally beaming as the three of us sat down to our Thanksgiving feast. I have to say, I didn't use to like cooking, but now I LOVE it thanks to my fabulous husband who taught me how to cook and do it well.

Here is my first ever turkey. I was so stinking proud I wouldn't let Hubs cut it until I took a picture.


It was so beautiful and herb stuffed (thanks for the pointers Gord.on Rams.ey!). It was delicious. I did an awesome job.

Here is the fantastic spread I prepared (minus the chocolate pecan pie that was still chilling in the fridge [I also forgot to get a pic before eating {I KNOW!}]).


Please note the fine china. This was a very traditional gift from my parents on my wedding day. It is the first time it has seen the light of day since the contents were checked for breakage. I can't even tell you how gloaty I was to finally use it. Even Baby Bean got her own little plate.

I decided to let Baby Bean help herself to her dinner.

Here is Hubs helping her get a hold of her spoon.

He's helping her dish up some of the potatoes.

Here he assists her with bringing the full spoon to her mouth.

But she insisted on doing things her way...

holding the spoon with one hand while shoveling food into her mouth with the other.

She did make a few attempts to use her spoon though.

I think she was pretty pleased with the meal, as it was all over her smiling face.

When it came time to clean up, Sadie offered to help. Baby Bean didn't mind.

While the plans for the day were tossed out the window, I think it all turned out very well. Dinner was delicious and I loved being domestic. It was a very memorable Thanksgiving, and I enjoyed every second of it.