First Thanksgiving for Louis

John and I spent our last Thanksgiving alone. We had learned the Monday before that we were headed to China the next week, and we spent our day pacing, packing, and presumably eating something for dinner, though I very much doubt it was turkey--and there was definitely no pumpkin pie. As we counted the minutes to meeting Louis, we enjoyed a quiet but very exciting Thanksgiving, stuffing suitcases rather than poultry.

Great as that Turkey(less) Day was--and we were looking back on it fondly this morning--this Thanksgiving set a new standard.

As we discovered today, Louis has a healthy appetite for turkeys--both cuddly and cooked. When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house to find a turkey flag, he sprinted up the steps.

He ran into the house and asked Aunt Treasa to play his favorite songs on the piano, and she complied.

Then he found a turkey friend on Grandma's rocking chair, one of his favorite spots.

 

Suddenly our boy who rejected photography requests earlier this week was smiling--and making sure even the turkey was saying cheese.

The turkey seemed less interested in the photo shoot than Louis, but the Cat in the Hat was happy to smile.

Of course, the Cat had been in the spotlight a fair amount today, especially since Louis asked for Cat in the Hat paperdolls this morning.

When the turkey tired of the rocking chair, he and Louis moved to the steps, where Louis loves to "nap."

"Napping" on the steps gave us a great excuse to sing "Toora Loora Loora" a few dozen times. Louis knows all the words, of course.

As pleased as Louis was to make the stuffed turkey's acquaintance, he was even more excited to visit the kitchen. He watched Grandpa mash the rutabaga (a family holiday favorite) and the potatoes.

He was as curious about the rutabaga as he was about the steaming 19-pound turkey.

He wanted to taste everything. Now.

More than a few times we had to explain that it wasn't time to eat. And after Grandpa gave him a taste of the dark meat, Louis decided to stick close until the food was ready. He didn't want to miss anything.

When we finally sat down to eat, Louis had his bib on and--just to make sure we knew he was serious this time--placed his cloth napkin in his lap.

Which parts of the Thanksgiving feast did he enjoy?

Well, here he is eating his second serving of rutabaga after complaining that the first serving Grandpa gave him was too small.

The whole menu worked for Louis.

He ate the turkey.

He ate the dressing.

He ate the potatoes, after asking for extra gravy.

He loved the peas--always a favorite.

He said he didn't want sauerkraut (also a staple on our family Thanksgiving table) and then inhaled it.

He pretended his roll was a tunnel before he decided to make a cranberry sauce sandwich and ate most of it.

And he ate at least half a can of cranberry sauce.

By the time Grandma brought out her homemade pumpkin pie, Louis had demonstrated how a child can gain 5 1/2 pounds and 3 1/2 inches in height in his first year home from China.

He polished off the whipped cream, most of the crust, and dabbled in the pie filling.

 

Even though I suspect Louis would love pumpkin pie, I didn't even encourage him to finish it. He was clearly satisfied.

Turkey might make some people tired. Not Louis. He had plenty of energy. When we were finally finished, he moved to Baba's lap and played an invisible keyboard.

Then he offered to blow out the candles.

He was quite determined.

Then, while the rest of us were dozing off in food-induced comas, Louis started pretending to saw off people's hands--a trick he learned from Baba tonight.

Future surgeon or magician? Hard to say.

We didn't go around the table tonight to say what we are thankful for.

We didn't need to.