Mostly Owen: Post-Tryptophan Coma

Sarah's Thoughts: We have had a whirlwind week! This time last week, it seemed like I was looking down a long stretch of relaxing holidays with no end in sight. But like any good vacation, it is rapidly coming to a close. I do feel that my lists served me well and Thanksgiving Day was everything I'd hoped for. I tried some new recipes and subjected all of my captive guests to Thanksgiving games. We had a random group of people, but everyone was friendly, gracious and got along well. The evening was wonderful, but towards the end I was exhausted and couldn't handle cleaning up the rubble of dirty dishes and half eaten casseroles, let alone figure out how to divide up left-overs. (Why is it that everyone dreams of Thanksgiving left-overs, but no one wants to take food home with them?) Thankfully, my mom and Kristen dove right in and picked up my slack and I woke up to a completely spotless kitchen! I confess, I felt a little lost and directionless in the days following Thanksgiving, but I'm quickly recovering. The thought of cooking isn't completely repulsive any more and Christmas isn't really all that far away! I should start making some lists...

High- Family, delicious food, games, wine. It was fantastic!

Low- Knowing the glorious vacation will be over in 2 days. Wah!

Luke Update: Luke has been a wonderful husband (and really, he always is). He kicked this week off with a deer hunting trip, taking my dad and brother out. Because we were dealing with a limited window of time, Luke had to organize all the gear, do the shopping, and load the boat so that they could shove off as soon as the jet's wheels hit the runway. My dad has been dreaming of deer hunting since they moved from Juneau, about 5 years ago so they had a great time, even if the only deer they saw was a tiny cocker spaniel-sized one. It warmed my little heart, knowing that all the boys I love most in this world (over 5 feet tall) were tromping around in the woods together, bonding. Two days into the trip, I realized that if anything happened to that small but precious hunting party, I'd basically be devastated. Needless to say, I was quite thankful when they pulled safely into the harbor on Thanksgiving morning.

Owen Update: Owen has been handling all the extra people and increased activity quite well. I guess it helps that he thoroughly enjoys being the center of attention. He got over his shyness quickly and soon the cuddling with Yia Yia (Owen's name for my mom, means "Grandma" in Greek), and playing "peak" with Grandpa Roger began. He's been staying up late, taking extra baths and eating licorice for the first time. I don't know how he's going to handle life on Tuesday when he wakes up from his afternoon nap and realizes that its just him and daddy... My parents have pointed out that Owen is not only understanding pretty much everything you say, but also saying words himself. I guess I need to start listening closer to decipher his seemingly nonsensical babble. I'll keep you posted...