Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was spent with family here in our hundred year old farmhouse in the deep woods of Texas. I wish I could tell you I had a blast. A woman pregnant in her third trimester should be salivating at the very idea of this most glorious of food holidays. Unfortunately, I woke up early in the morning the day before turkey day with chills. I asked my husband to grab me a blanket and an hour later, when the shakes started, asked him for another one. Long story short, I ran a fever that got a little over 101 degrees Fahrenheit and spent the next two days trying to shake the flu.

To any of you who have been sick during the holidays you know how disorienting it can be when you’re in a fever-induced haze while the rest of your kin run around, laugh and eat outside your bedroom door. I felt like I was in slow motion while everyone else was able to move at accelerated speeds, my niece and nephews in particular 😉 Add to this, the fact I’m about 35 weeks pregnant and already sluggish and the result is a lovely holiday train wreck.

The plus side was my mother was in town to take care of me. I don’t care how old you are, there is something about having your mother there to look after you that makes you feel better than the best medicine. My husband was a sweetheart to me the whole way through. Instead of eating Thanksgiving dinner with the family, he elected to sit in bed with me while we worked through our plates. He told me that he made apologies to everyone, but said he wanted to share Thanksgiving with the one he’s most thankful for. This won extra brownie points from my parents and siblings.

It made me sad that I couldn’t play dress up with my niece or hunt trolls in the forest with my nephews, but I’m happy to say the fever let up enough for me to eat some pie at the dinner table. I’m thankful everyone was able to stay a few extra days post turkey day as well, because every day got better with fewer nap breaks, until I was able to sit by the fire and eat s’mores with the kids.

Our house was a mess with the kids running in and out of it all day and the men worked on the land and house repairs. We relaxed when we could and my mom baked some fantastic pies and banana bread, yum! My husband was able to re-organize our room and “closet room” next door so the baby’s things are organized and ready for him to arrive. I loved watching him grow more and more excited as he put together each new baby item. And I was able to put up our Christmas tree, just in case I go into early labor during the next few weeks or lose the gumption to attempt holiday decor. 😉

Writing-wise, I didn’t accomplish as many words for NaNoWriMo, though I did read a lot from the sickbed. But in the end, whether I make it to 50 K tomorrow or not, I’m happy to have spent Thanksgiving surrounded my the people I loved. After all, they’re really the source of my inspiration. 🙂

How about the rest of my fellow Americans? Anyone have any stories as chaotic or more so than mine? Would love to hear from you!