This year has been a year of firsts for Josie. Many of these firsts have come at the dinner table. First high chair. First solid foods. First self-feeding. First teeth.
To round out 2010, Josie ordered off a kids menu for the first time. Well, we ordered for her. "The little lady will have the cheese ravioli." So posh.
Normally, we'd piece together her meals out from our own plates. This time, she had a mini entree all to herself (and I have lunch for another day).
We went to Scalini's in Cobb County for her Uncle Terry's birthday. Josie was way into it. She had a captive audience. A pack of crayons. And all the garlic rolls she could get her little paws on.
Crayons are delicious. The yellow ones taste like lemon.
I doubt she understood that she was getting her own food. But she dug in and dug it. There was marinara sauce splattered here and there. Globs of ricotta cheese. It was a delicious Pollock painting. (Polack does Pollock....oh, that would have been a better blog title.)
Cheese! Ravioli!!!!!!!!
I've often worried about kid's menus. They all seem to be the same: grilled cheese, chicken fingers, burgers, fries. No wonder our society struggles with picky eaters and overweight children. While cheese ravioli isn't much of a stretch of the palate, it's a nice diversion from the fried and salted and fried offerings for tots. And while it's mostly cheese covered in cheese, there's at least a vegetable present.
Doing her best Jabba the Hutt impression
A special shout out should go to Josie's cousin Katie, who has been a great babysitter...or baby wrangler. That's probably a better description. She so graciously sat on the other side of the hungry badger (Caution: If you sit in the front row, you will get splattered!) and entertained, taking a lot of pressure of Mommy and Daddy. I actually got to enjoy my pasta and glass of wine for longer than five minutes. So, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Cousin Katie keeps Josie in line.
And thank you, Daddy Van, for documenting the occasion.
This time last year, I was the stuffed turkey at the holiday table. I was carrying Josie and two weeks from my projected due date. I could hardly imagine what was in store, much less what this Thanksgiving was going to be like.
So as Josie's first turkey day appeared in my headlights about a month ago, grand expectations began cartwheeling through my mind. We had hoped to join my husband's family in Atlanta, but our impending move (What?! We're leaving Mississippi? Yes, my friends. It's true. These muscadines are destined to become Georgia peaches.) and other stresses kept us home. My parents then planned to visit from Birmingham, but my mother was struck with the yucks.
Finally, we decided on a low-key, just-us shindig. At first, I was kind of bummed. Now, I can say it's been the most relaxed Thanksgiving I've ever had. And not a bad way to introduce Josie to the holiday. I am so thankful for her and my husband and 4,000-calorie days.
The family went to the zoo while the turkey roasted. We ate about 5 p.m. Josie had turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, cinnamon sweet potatoes and homemade cranberry Jello.
Her favorite? The Jello. Followed closely by the gravy.
After eating and smearing the remains across her highchair tray, she danced a little jig to the soul music we played in the background.
It was so very cool and sweet and nice. I still missed my parents, my brother, my in-laws, the rest of the clan. But I had...well, here. See for yourself.
