When I went to get Milly up from Erin’s room this morning, I found her curled between Erin and a pillow with her head near Erin’s knees, grinning at me.  Erin told me that Milly had woken up last night so she ended up putting her in bed with her after trying to put her back in the crib.  She said Milly squirmed and wiggled a lot, which doesn’t surprise me, and that she (Erin) didn’t get to sleep until around 4:00.  This was Milly’s first time sleeping for the night in a real bed.  How sweet!

Dad, Adam and I piled into the truck and went to Wal-Mart to get a few things this morning.  After we got back, Adam and I helped Dad load some wood into the tractor to carry up where Dad was planning on having a bonfire tonight.  He had cut down a tree, but the stump was still there.  He was hoping that along with pouring some diesel fuel down the trunk, the bonfire would help burn away the stump.  It was starting to rain, so we only did one load, but it was plenty of wood for a bonfire.

Aunt Reggie, David and Ksusha (who is starting to show just a little), Aunt Robbie and Andra’s crew all arrived at various times throughout the afternoon.  Amanda and I drove downtown to pick up a distant almost-relative we’d never met and her friend.  She was my dad’s older brother’s wife’s cousin’s daughter.  (Yes, that was the longest way I could think to put it.  Shorter would be: My aunt’s cousin, but that’s kind of boring.)  Her name was Nomi (pronounced Naomi) and her friend’s name was Lena.  They’re in Durham working on funding for an online game they’ve developed for teenage girls.  They were nice and very sociable with everyone.

Eighteen people were in attendance for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Jackson sat next to me and I tried really hard to convince him to try some cranberry sauce, which is one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving.

After we ate, I gave Addie her present from me and Amanda, which was a Disney tea set.  The tea pot makes a pouring/filling the cup sound when you tip it, which entertained both Addison and Milly.  I’m surprised how much of an imagination Milly already shows, as she’d “pour” the tea into a cup then act like she was drinking from the cup.

Jackson was a little upset though, since he didn’t get to open a present.  I tried to explain to him that he’d get his in a month on his birthday, but he didn’t seem to understand the difference between us getting something to Addison late (she got to open a present and it wasn’t her birthday) and him opening something early.  Or maybe he did understand and just wanted a present.

After dinner a bunch of us went outside.  Josh got the bonfire started and Mom wanted to show the kids her horse trailer.  There’s a little compartment in the front of it with a bed.  Mom and I put the kids on the bed.  Jackson was trying to help Milly, but I was afraid he was going to accidentally make her fall off.  It turns out that I should have let him help her more, because I guess she got close to the edge of the bed and, as soft as the mattress is, she fell off of it.  This thing wasn’t a regular bed either; there’s not a whole lot of space between the mattress and the top of the bed.  It was probably a good four feet up, and she fell.

It was such a terrible thing for me to see.  She fell sort of backwards and headfirst.  I saw it happening and tried to reach over to grab her leg with my left hand (my right one was making sure Addison didn’t fall), but I missed it and she hit her head on a carpeted bench then rolled off that onto the floor.  I was terrified.  I was afraid that she’d have a broken neck or arm or something.

Milly started crying really loud, which I took as a good sign since it meant she wasn’t dead or unconscious.  By the time Amanda got there from the bonfire I already had Milly in my arms.  I told her what happened and she started to say something about it, but I cut her off.  There’s nothing she could have said that I didn’t already put on myself anyway.

We took Milly to my parents’ room to look at her, and aside from some abrasions (more like rug burn than anything) and a bump on the right side of her forehead she seemed okay.  Amanda tried to put a bag of frozen veggies on the spot, but Milly wouldn’t let her keep them there for long.  She settled down after a bit though.  More than anything, it was just a scary reminder for me to be more vigilant when Milly is in an iffy place.  I can’t describe how terrible I felt about it.

On a happier note, I finished ordering our Christmas gifts from my parents a little after that.  My parents weren’t sure what to get us, so they gave us a credit card and an amount to spend on me and Amanda and an amount for Milly and told us to order whatever we wanted online.  Less stress for them and we get what we want.  It’s funny though; I know the majority of what I’m getting for Christmas this year.

Milly was a bit fussy for the evening, but that was understandable.  When we did put her down though, I don’t think I’d ever seen her so ready to go to bed.  She was literally trying to climb into the crib.

Addison had a fever, which has me and Amanda a little worried since Jackson had just gotten over pneumonia and Milly has been interacting so much with them.

We spent a good bit of time out at the bonfire, just talking and hanging out as Thanksgiving wound down.  A friend of Andra’s and her kid stopped by, then she left for a bit and came back with her boyfriend.

So what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving?  I’m thankful for my family and friends, for our health, that we have jobs and a place to live, that Amanda and I are blessed with such a great baby and that she is so smart, beautiful and healthy.

Zach Dotsey