the world of weed: the day after

'Twas the day after the wedding and all through the house, the people were exhausted, and slept like a louse...

...or something like that.

Last night was the wedding, so yesterday morning was busy with getting the car packed and ready to go (it takes the whole house shoved in your car to travel with a one year old, did you know that?)--and I had only had 3 hours of sleep (I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of everything I had to do and take). We left at 9:30 and drove two hours, had lunch, greeted lots of family and friends we hadn't seen in a long time, chased after our one year old who was very excited to be let loose in a huge hotel lobby, baby proofed a hotel room for said one year old, gave her a nap while I hung out at the pool watching my niece and nephew swim and talked to my mom, dad, and brothers (while Daddy took a nap too!) fed her an early dinner before the wedding, got all of us ready to go....and that's all BEFORE the wedding! Then came trying to keep her controlled in a big room with lots of new people. She LOVED it, but was quite talkative, including during the wedding! Daddy had to take her out to the foyer because otherwise no one would've heard Jack and Megan say their vows! But, like mother like daughter: at my uncle's wedding when I was two, I talked the whole time, saying, "Da! Da!" because I saw my daddy up in front as the best man. My aunt and uncle reminded me of that last night after the wedding was over.

Then we had to go upstairs to have pictures taken. There were people and food and photography lights and cords everywhere, so she was like a bull in a china shop. We finally found a big empty room off of the room where the pictures were taken and she was able to run around to her heart's content until it was our turn for a picture She loved it. It had a little balcony over the reception room where everyone else was milling around, so she could look out over it and see people, dance up and down, and squeal away, and no one cared.

Dinner couldn't have come soon enough--she had had an early dinner at the hotel (veggies and some yogurt) but she was starving and had eaten almost an entire snack cup full of cheerios and lots of my hors devours (is that how you spell that??). She was antsy, but was well behaved and smiley to everyone who came to talk to her.

After dinner it was already an hour and a half past her bedtime and she was rubbing her eyes and yawning, so Daddy took her back to the hotel. I stayed a little longer to visit some more. Whew! I was wiped out.

We were certain she wouldn't sleep all night, but we were wrong!!! We stayed in a really cool hotel that used to be a Quaker Oats mill, and the rooms are all in silos, so they're all round! It provided some good nooks and crannies to put a play pen for her to sleep. Our bed was kind of back in an alcove, so we put her in the other section away from us and behind the couch, so she couldn't see us. She slept without making a sound. I woke up at 6:00 and couldn't believe I hadn't heard her, so I had to go check on her to make sure she was okay. She was sacked out on her back with her hands up above her head (she never sleeps on her back!). She slept until 6:30 and then woke up as happy as can be. My parents' room was right next to ours and Grandma came over and helped take care of her while we got everything packed up and ready to go.

We had a nice breakfast with our whole extended family (minus Jack and Megan who had left at 5:30 for their honeymoon in Mexico--my mom got up and saw them off) at the hotel and then we came home.

We couldn't believe how well she did. She slept almost the whole drive up and back and was happy for the time she was awake in the car. She didn't cry really at all the whole time--just full of smiles and excited to see everyone she met. The wedding was very simple and pretty. It was in an old refurbished downtown mansion, just a block from the hotel, so we could walk. The reception got a little crazy after dinner and all of the designated dances (bride and groom, bride and dad, groom and mom....during which I cried, as I saw my mom crying while dancing with her baby boy). Megan and her family (and Jack, too) love a good party, so it got loud after that, but my niece, who is five, LOVED dancing with her daddy (my older brother) and her grandpa (my dad). It was fun watching her jump around and enjoy herself so much. I walked back to the hotel with her, my nephew, and my sister-in-law (their mom). My parents and my older brother, the best man, stayed until the end. I was too tired to last.

So we got home today and I was exhausted. I took a two and a half hour nap, which I haven't done in I can't tell you how long! Even my napping when she was a newborn never lasted two and a half hours (because she never slept that long!). It felt so good, but I easily could've slept longer. My husband finally woke me up (I think because he had had enough of playing Mr. Mom!).

Here are the pictures: