Yellow Rose

“Can you believe it, guys?  I’m on an airplane flying to Texas!” N. and I went on a weekend trip to the great state of Texas for a friend’s wedding.  It was N’s first time on a plane, and my first time flying alone (without another adult)—and my first time taking a baby on a plane.  Things actually went well—N. was even better on the plane than I could have asked her to be.  The flights were full, but miraculously there was an empty seat next to me both flights.  I actually think it might have been the only empty seat on the airplane.  It was wonderful!

N. said a quick prayer before we took off from the airport.

We spent some quality time in the hotel room.  N’s frequent need for naps put a bit of a cramp into my otherwise party-filled weekend, but we made it work.  Here she is, all dressed up for the wedding:

N. skipped the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  A friend of a friend, who I’d not met before, was kind enough to give up her evening and travel an hour to sit in a hotel room with a crying baby.  It was wonderful for me to have a night to not worry, and I couldn’t believe the kindness of my new friend.  She even brought N. some new toys and snuggled her and sang to her (she’s a professional singer).  She was an amazing blessing to me!

The next day was the wedding, which was so beautiful!  The bride (my friend A) looked absolutely stunning and the ceremony was wonderful (especially the cool bridesmaids).  While Mom was standing up front, N. hung out with her new friend D, who might actually be the baby whisperer.

And we had a grand time at the reception, which was elegant and classy and fun all at the same time.

And there were some awesome bridesmaids!(Yes, we’re wearing dresses—it’s just an unfortunate cropping of the camera).

N. actually liked my friend K., but this picture was taken at the end of a long day.  She was such a super-trooper—most children her age would be screaming at this point.  On the way out of the reception (four hours after her normal bedtime!), she even managed to smile at a stranger who came up to play with her.

And she actually smiled at tons of strangers—she made so many friends at the airport and wedding-related festivities (and played a marathon game of “peek-a-boo” with the person behind us on the airplane).  She was full of smiles and took the opportunity to learn how to wave!  In other milestone news, can also clap her hands.

Baby and Mama.  She had used up all of her smiles for the day.

And if her good behavior wasn’t amazing enough, it should be noted that she has two more teeth than she did before we left!  I’m so proud of her!

Sorry there aren’t more photos—I traveled light and took the baby instead of the nice camera.  I hope to get more from other people and will post those later.