As I throw on some jeans and a sweater, I wonder if I'm going to have to be the bad guy about a kitten. It's not that I'm completely opposed to the idea of pets. I'm just opposed to them right now, while we live in a Brownstone, work a gazillion hours and are contemplating another child. Maybe someday when we have a house and less demanding jobs. Plus Lulu is only a year old, she doesn't need a pet. I just know that Josh will be tempted. He just wants to give her everything her little heart might possibly desire.
I'm a little surprised to find myself alone in the kitchen. I'm not really sure if I should poke around the cupboards to find what I need or if I should just wait. But I'd like to get my dish already to go before everyone arrives, that way I can help with whatever else needs to be done.
I'm just going to do it. I find a large pot and get the water going. It takes a couple trys to locate the food processor but once I do, the cheese is shredded in just a few minutes. As I'm cleaning it, Abbey joins me.
"Did you find everything you need?"
"Yes, thank you."
"I'm really looking forward to trying your Macaroni and Cheese. Is that something you used to have at home every Thanksgiving?"
"It was something we'd end up having at some point during the weekend. And Josh really likes it. I thought it would make a good side dish for dinner. I hope that's okay."
"Of course it is, Donna. I appreciate you offering to make something."
"I'll put it all together, then it'll need to cook for a hour before we want to eat it. What time are you planning on Thanksgiving Dinner?"
"I was thinking 6pm. We usually eat at 8 but with the babies, I think we should eat early."
"Maybe I should make the macaroni and cheese for lunch instead of as a side dish then."
"That would be lovely. I was just going to make sandwiches but I'm sure everyone would prefer a hot meal."
The water is boiling so I put the macaroni in to cook, then I find another pot to make the cheese sauce. Abbey watches me mix the butter and flour into a roux, then I add the milk and stir in the cheese.
"Can you stir this while I drain the macaroni?"
"Sure."
Abbey and I work together and before long the macaroni and cheese is in a pan covered in tin foil just waiting to be popped into the oven. It really is nice cooking with her.
"Is there anything else we can do now?"
"We can make the cranberry sauce." Abbey pulls a metal contraption out of a drawer.
"You have a grinder!"
"Yes, you know what this is?"
"Yes, my Mother has one to grind meat for meatballs."
"Can you rinse the cranberries and orange, please." Abbey asks as she hooks the grinder to the countertop.
Once I'm done rinsing everything, she turns the crank as I drop the fruit through the top. We probably could have done this with the food processor, but something about seeing Abbey make the cranberry sauce the same way my Mom does really makes me feel a lot more at home. Someday Lulu and I are going to do this too.
Abbey stirs some sugar into the mixture. "Here, taste this." She instructs as she puts a spoon to my mouth. "Is it too tart?"
"No. It's just right." I look around the kitchen. "Anything else we should do?"
"No, we'll wait for the girls on rest of it. They can help after lunch."
"Honey, I'm home!" Josh calls out as he and Lulu come back in through the front door.
"Hoomee." Lulu copies him in a sing song voice. Abbey grins at me and we go find them together.
Their cheeks are rosey and they both have big grins on their faces. They are utterly adorable.
"Come on, let's get you bathed."
"Okay, by me." Josh retorts wiggling his eyebrows. "But Lulu should probably have a bath too."
"Oh, you two!" Abbey chuckles and heads off towards Jed's study.
. . . . .
"You know, this isn't as good as showering with you. But at least I got a good show." Josh leers as I hand Lulu off to him and he wraps her in a towel.
"Creep." I tell him with a laugh as I start washing my hair.
"You married me." He banters back.
By the time I finish my shower, he has Lulu all dressed for the day.
"This is the right outfit, right?" He asks as he stands her up.
She's wearing a cream colored shirt that has a couple pumpkin appliques and is embroidered with the phrase "Daddy's little pumpkin" on it. Her burnt orange corduroy pants match perfectly.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure that this is one of the outfits that Jed & Abbey sent for her birthday."
"Well, I love it."
"Of course you do. Anything, that let's the world know she's your princess."
"That's not a bad thing, right?"
"No, Josh. It's not a bad thing at all."
. . . . .
Lulu is sitting on Josh's lap watching the parade when we hear the door open.
"We made it!" Ellie calls out. As Jed and Abbey and Zoey and Charlie get up and head into the foyer, I wonder what we should do. Should we hang back and give them some family time?
"I should help Vic with the suitcases." Josh suggests, so I get up and take Lulu from him, then follow him towards the rest of them.
I'm hanging back in the doorway, with Lulu on my hip, when Tori spots us. "Baby Lulu!" She shouts as Ellie gets her coat off her. Then she runs over to me.
"I guess we're chopped liver." Jed grumbles.
"Sorry, Dad. She's been talking about Lulu the whole trip up here." Ellie apologizes as she hangs Tori's coat up and takes her own off. "Let's all go into the living room."
As I sit down on the floor with Lulu on my lap, Tori climbs up on me and hugs Lulu. Then she climbs down and runs over to Jed and climbs up in his chair to give him a hug. Then she squirms down and goes over to Abbey. Zoey and Charlie get similar treatment.
Lulu watches Tori carefully then crawls off my lap and pushes herself up to standing. Everyone seems to hold their breath as she just stands there a minute. Then I hear the front door open and Josh and Vic's voices.
"Josh! C'mere, quick! I think Lulu is going to take her first step!"
He rushes to the doorway then stops. "Hey, Lulu." He calls out to her softly. "Come to Daddy." He holds his arms out and she lifts one foot, then drops to her knees and quickly crawls over to him.
Everyone bursts into laughter and Lulu grins at them. "Little stinker." Josh chides her affectionately. "You really are stubborn."
"I wonder who she gets that from?" Jed teases him.
"She looks like a little flamingo when she does that." Abbey laughs.
"Yeah," Zoey chimes in, "she's been doing that for a while. She keeps us all on our toes."
"Let's watch the parade for a while." Josh settles down on the couch with Lulu on his lap. When I slide in next to him, he wraps his arm around me and we get comfortable.
"Come here, Tori." Jed calls out and she climbs back into his lap and settles down. Everyone else seems to find a spot too and pretty soon we are all watching the parade with a running commentary about the balloons and the bands and the floats.
The girls only make it about 30 minutes before they are restless. Honestly, it's longer than I expected.
Abbey pull out a big basket of toys and that keeps them occupied for another hour. Then Lulu starts yawning. I was kind of worried about this. Her nap schedule has been sort of out of whack for a while. A lot of days she skips the morning nap, but it looks like she needs one today.
"I'm going to take her upstairs and put her down for a nap." I tell the room as I leave.
I know I probably should just put Lulu right into the crib. All the books say that it's good to put babies to bed while they are still awake and let them fall asleep on their own. But I just can't resist sitting down in the chair and rocking her for a bit. This is a strange place, and a strange bed, and it's not her normal schedule. I don't think holding her until she falls asleep is really going to mess anything up any further than vacationing already does.
And it's nice just to have a few moments where I'm not worried about whether we are overstepping. Ellie is so quiet I can never tell whether she resents us taking time away from her parents. I hope not. At least Tori and Lulu seem to get along. Not really playing together but playing next to each other without any issues.
I trace my finger around Lulu's face one more time and her eyes don't open again. But I'm not quite ready to get up and go back yet.
"Looks like she's asleep." Josh whispers from the doorway. Well, I guess that's my queue.
Once I have her settled into the crib, I motion him back through the bathroom into our bedroom. He pulls me close and kisses me passionately, enveloping me in his arms. When he stops kissing me, I rest my head on his shoulder.
"Parade over?"
"No. Just boring. I thought maybe I could interest you in a nap."
"A nap, huh?"
"Or . . . . something." He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I can't help but giggle.
"Yeah, let me just go stick the macaroni and cheese in the oven. Then I'll come back up."
Just as I'm sliding the dish into the oven, Jed comes into the kitchen. "I need to get my bird going."
"Do you want some help?"
"I'd never turn down the opportunity to spend some time with you, Donnatella." He answers me with a fond grin. I just love him.
As I pull the stock pot out of the refrigerator, I can't help but groan a little. "This is pretty heavy."
"It's a 22 pound bird!" Jed exclaims proudly. I'm glad he's not trying to lift this. I hope Abbey put it into the refrigerator.
"Just set the pot on the floor, then pull the bird out and set it on the counter." Jed instructs as he puts a towel on the counter.
"Should I just use my hands?"
"I think that would be easiest." Jed agrees as he goes to the sink to wash his.
I join him and then a few seconds later, I plunge my hands into the water and pull out the slimy bird. To my horror, it slips out of my hands and onto the floor. I feel like I'm going to cry. But as I look up into his eyes, I see they are filled with amusement and he's trying not to laugh.
"I won't tell if you won't, Donnatella. We'll just rinse it off. Once it's cooked, it'll be fine."
Together we manage to rinse the bird and pat it dry. All the while Jed extoiles the virtue of the brine.
"It's the Ainse and Coriander that really give it the flavor. Soaking it in a brine overnight helps keeps it moist."
"Yes, sir."
"Donna. . . ." He gives me a pleading look.
"Sorry, Jed." He really wants us to use his name but sometimes I still slip up. Especially when he's in lecturing mode.
"Now, while the bird is resting, let's make the stuffing. Did you know that if you don't cook the ingredients first, you could make your guests really sick?"
"I have heard that."
"Did your Mom cook the stuffing first?"
"We cooked it in a separate pan."
"Well, then it's not really stuffing, is it?"
"No, I suppose not."
"We're having stuffing. I've decided that I like all of you this year so I already cooked the sausage and the oysters. "
"I'm glad to hear that."
Together we transfer the turkey into the roaster, then Jed points at the table.
"Okay, you're going to take that cheesecloth, fold it in thirds, and stuff it up inside the bird. Make a little pouch for me to fill with the stuffing."
He nods at my efforts and I can't help but feel fulfilled. No matter how basic the chore, it makes me happy to help him.
"Okay, now, hold the legs open." He starts filling the cavity. "So you don't want to pack it in too tightly. There we go. Alright, now tuck the ends of the cheesecloth around it."
I watch as he tucks the wings under the bird, then ties the legs together with kitchen twine. Then he rubs it with butter, then shakes salt and pepper all over it.
"I'll get Charlie to put it in the oven for us."
"Good idea, Jed. I'm going to check on Lulu and Josh. That macaroni and cheese will be done in 15 minutes."
Jed leans over and gives my cheek a kiss. "Thanks for your help, Donna."
That was nice. I feel a little bad for leaving Josh upstairs for so long. But when I open the door, I discover him sleeping. I guess he really did need a nap.
As I turn to leave his voice stops me. "Hey. Standing me up twice?"
"Sorry babe, I was needed in the kitchen."
"Scut work?"
"Presidential scut work."
He chuckles a little and opens his arms, so I kick off my shoes and join him on the bed.
"You know we don't really have time for anything, don't you? Lunch will be ready in 10 minutes, and Lulu will be awake soon."
"Sounds like just the right amount of time to hold my wife."
"Okay."
We lay there a few minutes, with Josh stroking my hair. A few times it seems like he about to say something, but then he stops himself. "You okay?" I finally ask him.
"About last week . . ."
"Da-dee!" Lulu's call interrupts him before he can say anything more. "Mama!"
"Hold that thought a second. I'll go get her and be right back." I tell him as I start to get up.
"No, I don't want to talk about it in front of her, even if she can't understand. Let's just get her ready for lunch. We can talk about it later."
"Are you sure? I can probably find someone to hand her off to if you need to talk now."
"I'm sure. I'm fine."
I give him a once over just to be sure, then I go to get Lulu. He does look okay, and he's been less stressed since he got here. But I want to be here for him. I want to share in the burdens that weigh him down. Everything is always better when we work together.
"Hey Lulu."
"Mama! Mama!" She's standing in her crib smiling at me. I'm glad she's not freaked out about being in a different place.
"Are you hungry?" I ask as I lift her out.
"Ohs?"
"How about macaroni and cheese? Let's get your diaper changed then we can go have lunch with Tori."
"Tori?"
Once I have Lulu all set, we head downstairs together. Whatever Josh is going to tell me will have to wait until later.