It didn't get off to the best start, though. For a couple of nights prior to our trip, Camden started night-waking again. And he had a runny nose, the beginnings of a cold. Perfect timing, right?
After checking his temperature 700 times and being reassured by my mom that it was okay if he woke up during the night while I was gone, I reluctantly headed out on Saturday morning. My sister-in-law rode with me and the steady flow of our conversation was a nice distraction for me. We stopped halfway to Northern Virginia to visit my grandmother in Richmond. We showed up bearing treats-- a cheeseburger, a chocolate shake, and a picture of Camden-- since Grandma had just had surgery earlier in the week and I thought she could use some cheering up.
My dad has always thought that Camden resembles my grandfather who passed away 2 years ago when I was still pregnant, but there's one picture in particular where the resemblance is especially strong. And so, I made sure to choose that picture for Grandma. When she opened it, she said, "I bet that's exactly what Papa looked like as a little boy."
We made it to the hotel in Northern Virginia a couple of hours prior to the start of the wedding-- perfect timing. I'll admit that it was nice to relax in a quiet hotel room and get all dressed up without constantly looking over my shoulder to see what mischief my busy toddler was creating.
The ceremony, the cocktail hour, the reception-- it was all so nice. I did have one very powerful I miss Camden so much moment and it occurred, predictably, during the father-daughter dance. Those dances always make me emotional anyway, but watching the way that father looked at his daughter, I started having visions of Matt and me dancing at Camden's wedding in 25 years. He was proud of his daughter-- that much was obvious-- but there was also a sadness in his eyes, probably a longing for the little girl she once was. And I was reminded once again how quickly it all goes by.
Don't worry, though-- I wiped the tears from my eyes quickly and spent the vast majority of the rest of the night on the dance floor in heels that were much too tall. Matt humored me and broke out his best white boy moves. We collapsed into bed, exhausted, around 11pm and were up the next day at the crack of dawn so we could hit the road and get home to our boy.
When we arrived, he was grumpy and exhausted, worn out from a fun weekend (and a late night!) with his Nan. But I have never been so happy to see him, tantrums and all.
We're back to our normal routine now, and I'm glad. It suits us. A break from the every day is good (and much-needed) sometimes, but our every day lives around here? Well, they're pretty darn good too...minus the bronchitis that Matt brought back as a souvenir from our trip. That just sucks.
5 comments:
oh i am so glad to hear everyone survived ;) cute pic of you and matt!!!
Glad u had fun! Where was the wedding?
It was over at a hotel near Fair Oaks Mall-- really close to where Matt & I got married actually.
Glad you survived and had fun! I took pics at a friends wedding a couple of weeks ago and I actually got a little choked up when they had their first dance and then when she danced with her dad. I just kept picturing my girls dancing at their wedding and how quickly that will happen cause they grow up so quickly. It's so bittersweet!
First, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your weekend and embraced the moment to kick it up and dance with your hubby. It is a good kind of tired when you have had a night full of fun. Second, it was so very sweet of you to share your thoughts as a new parent watching the father/daughter dance. But finally, the part that tugged at me the most was the part you shared about giving your grandma the photo of Camden. My eyes welled up with tears as I simultaneously read her comment and saw his picture.
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