Thanksgiving 2008

I had a hard time dropping off Ben at my mom's for the vacation...I even cried! Three nights seemed like an eternity away from Ben. But it actually went great. Ben got to spend some time with the grands and Uncle Addy and me and Alex got some much needed couple time. Mornings were great cause I just breezed into work without the stress of the morning drop off...but as the third day wore on, I really started missing Boo and realized that life right now is challenging, with or without Ben around. My job is really so much work, and its easy to justify my impatience with the fact that I have a child now. In truth, teaching, at times, is a tremendous amount of thankless work...and I am not sure what to do with the fact that it feels less than rewarding for all the energy I am putting in. This break is really needed!!!

We had a jubilant reunion when me and Alex pulled up at the time share house in Atlantic City. Ben never looked so cute and screamed with joy when we saw him and sprinted towards us...it was great! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in town and it was a good thing that we had our own room there so that Ben, Lilah and Meg could run around the table and go crazy...it was so classic! It was amazing to snuggle in bed that night with my boys all together again.

Along with Kate, Meg, and Marysa, Ben and I had such a nice time in the pool. Not only is he no longer timid in the water, he jumps into my arms, goes under and squeals with glee! I had a blast in the recreation room, almost beating Alex at some intense air hockey. We played Taboo which was so fun and enjoyed the festival of lights and shopping at Smithville. There we hit a toy shop with the greatest stuffed animal selection and I loved watching Ben animate all the creatures around him...they were so real to him and it was so interesting to watch him reenact little dramas with them: "Oh you're stuck, baby jaguar! Here comes daddy...do you want a hug? That's better!" Even though the quarter games were cheezy, they too were fun, as was playing the slot machines with Adam who made a killing on the penny slots and treated me to lunch! We relaxed with everybody at a fun mall that had a deck that looked over the Atlantic and had sand for kids to play with inside. I loved to watch Ben so engaged at playing in the sand with Meg for almost an hour.

It was wonderful to see him surrounded by all the love in my family, we didn't wanna go home and I felt so blessed!