This Year, Chi Gets a Seat at the Table
Updated: Aug 31
My Apple Watch did something strange this morning and showed me a photo memory. I get those notifications on my phone all the time, but I honestly can't remember ever getting one on my watch.
Then, of course, my phone reminded me, too. Apparently, Apple really wanted me to remember what I was doing exactly one year ago today.
On Aug. 31, 2025, Anthony and I had our baby shower. It was the Sunday before Labor Day, and our family and friends were gathered around us celebrating the little girl we couldn't wait to meet.
Now, one year later, that little girl is sitting at our table eating ribeye. And I cannot tell you how happy that makes me.
The End of Summer Feels Different This Year
Technically, summer isn't over yet. But once August ends, kids are back in school and everybody starts making Labor Day plans, summer feels pretty much over to me.
Last Labor Day weekend, nobody had to ask what we were doing. We were all busy with the baby shower. This year, we've been figuring out our plans like everybody else, and those conversations have naturally turned into conversations about the holidays.
Fall has always been my favorite season. But this year I'm especially excited because Chi is old enough to really participate.
She was born Nov. 19, so technically this isn't her first Thanksgiving or Christmas. But she was a newborn. She wasn't exactly worried about what was on the menu. This year is different.
My girl likes to eat.
Apparently, I Gave Birth to a Foodie
When we last updated the blog in July, Chi was 7 months old. Two months later, I feel like I'm talking about a completely different baby.
She's saying actual words now. "Thank you." "Yeah." "No." "Whoa." And yes and no have become especially useful when she eats because she will absolutely tell me whether she wants what I'm offering. Fortunately, we agree on a lot.
Sweet potatoes remain her favorite and carrots are a close second, which means I’m pretty sure she’s going to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
She’s been eating table food for a few months now, but these days it’s less puree and more substance. This past weekend, I made a ribeye, gave her some and watched my baby tear that steak down. I was so proud 🥹
She’s also doing something my mom says I used to do: putting food in her mouth, sucking all the flavor out and then spitting it back out. So apparently, being a foodie runs deeper than I thought 😂
I've spent years telling people that swimming is one of my favorite things to do. I've recently realized that the more accurate answer has probably always been eating. And apparently, Chi inherited that from me.
Food Has Always Been How My Family Gathers
We took Chi back to Florida this summer to visit my grandparents. It was her second time on an airplane, and she got another trip to the beach. But when I think about that trip, I keep coming back to the food.
We were there for a family reunion, and basically the entire itinerary revolved around what meal we were eating together that day. Which, now that I think about it, explains a lot about me.
Going to my grandparents' house has always meant gathering around food. Everybody is under one roof. Everybody has a job. There are people preparing food, people helping in the kitchen and people cleaning everything back up.
Then, once the kitchen is clean, my grandmother might pull out Taboo and we're right back together again. That's what I love about the holidays.
My grandmother taught me how to make so many of the foods I love, but my grandparents also taught me that the meal itself is only part of it. It's everything happening around the meal that makes it special. And now I get to introduce Chi to that.
I'm Back in the Kitchen
For most of Chi's first year, I haven't cooked nearly as much as I used to.
When she was first born, I didn't have the time, energy or, honestly, much desire to cook. There were more important things happening.
But she's older now, and I'm finding my way back into the kitchen. Part of that is probably the season. Something about fall makes me want to cook. But part of it is Chi. She can sit in her high chair while I'm in the kitchen. She watches what I'm doing, and then she gets to eat what I make.
Cooking feels different when I'm making something that I know I'm going to share with my daughter.
I Can't Wait for Fall With Chi
There is so much I'm looking forward to over the next few months.
I want to take her apple picking and bring the apples home to make a pie. I want her in the kitchen while I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I want to see which family recipes she loves and which are an immediate "no."
Before we even get to Thanksgiving, we'll celebrate her first birthday on Nov. 19.
Her. First. Birthday! I don't know how we got here already.
That's probably why the baby shower memory hit me the way it did this morning.
One year ago, our family was gathered together celebrating a baby we hadn't met yet. We wondered what she would look like, what her personality would be and who she would become.
Today, she's basically walking, talking to us, making her opinions very clear and eating steak.
And now we're heading into my favorite time of year. And this time, Chi gets a seat at the table.
Comments