Instead of our usual Thursday playgroup this week, one of the moms (thanks, Kristin!) suggested a Baby Thanksgiving potluck lunch. Without skipping a beat, we had volunteers bringing stuffing and pumpkin muffins, roasted root veggies and cornbread, not to mention about a dozen other wonderful sides and desserts. It was all delicious and the kids enjoyed grabbing fistfuls of food while running around and generally keeping us all on our toes.
Here are the kids getting some playtime in before the meal...
Oliver and Jessie phone home...
Ella and Elisa run wild in Juliet's room--no toy is safe!
This is part of the group (the early eaters) taking a moment to commemorate the festivities...
Over the past year, I have really come to look forward to our Thursday gatherings and have found a lot of support from the fact that others are going through the same stages and frustrations (and okay, joys) that I am. It's also a great way to see how Elisa interacts with other kids and to bring out that social side that she loves to engage. Just seeing how she tries to hug Oliver, pat Ella on the head, and run down the hallway with Juliet is proof enough that she is a bona fide toddler with a mind of her own. Somehow that feeling of separateness--that Elisa is her own person with thoughts and ideas and ways to engage others--has become a real pleasure and comfort to me. I guess after all the dependency of the first year, I'm relieved to feel that she can do things on her own. I think the idea of bringing us all together before the hubbub of the holidays begins was a great start to the season. Here's to hoping next year Elisa can help me bake!
Here are the kids getting some playtime in before the meal...
Oliver and Jessie phone home...
Ella and Elisa run wild in Juliet's room--no toy is safe!
This is part of the group (the early eaters) taking a moment to commemorate the festivities...
Over the past year, I have really come to look forward to our Thursday gatherings and have found a lot of support from the fact that others are going through the same stages and frustrations (and okay, joys) that I am. It's also a great way to see how Elisa interacts with other kids and to bring out that social side that she loves to engage. Just seeing how she tries to hug Oliver, pat Ella on the head, and run down the hallway with Juliet is proof enough that she is a bona fide toddler with a mind of her own. Somehow that feeling of separateness--that Elisa is her own person with thoughts and ideas and ways to engage others--has become a real pleasure and comfort to me. I guess after all the dependency of the first year, I'm relieved to feel that she can do things on her own. I think the idea of bringing us all together before the hubbub of the holidays begins was a great start to the season. Here's to hoping next year Elisa can help me bake!
No comments:
Post a Comment