Philadelphia Wedding trip
Last weekend we traveled to Philadelphia for my cousin's wedding. It was the longest trip Madeline had been on and we were a little nervous about how she would fare in the car for that long. In the end, there was nothing to worry about because she handled the car ride a LOT better than the rest of us :P I'll just say this: when riding in the car with my husband, one must hold their tongue quite a bit and just think happy thoughts! Some people are more patient travelers than others...ahem...!
Anyway, we arrived alright--although during Philly's rush hour--and picked up dinner before meeting my parents at a hotel in NJ just by the bridge. We had the pack-n-play but that didn't quite work out and Maddie slept in between us in the king sized bed both nights :/ When she wasn't squirming around like crazy, it wasn't too bad. I sure do love cuddling with her, but when she does sleep with us (which isn't often) we both don't sleep very well.
The next morning was spent running around after Maddie, attempting to get her to nap (to no avail) so she wouldn't be cranky during the 3:00pm wedding ceremony; taking my time getting ready, and in the meantime, Ryan took his one opportunity to do something "fun" and went to Philly to get a roast pork sandwich at Reading Terminal Market, during which he called just to let me know that I was missing out on some good stuff. It's definitely not that I didn't want to explore Philadelphia--but we specifically traveled there to go to a wedding with little time for much else, and I knew Ryan wouldn't need as much time as I did to get ready, not to mention I am the main person who takes care of all things baby and there is no way the three of us would have been able to sight see with a toddler AND get back to the hotel in time for the wedding. Men!
So the wedding ceremony was nice and small, held in a Unitarian church downtown. The weather was a LOT colder than I had anticipated and we were all under prepared. Luckily for Maddie, my mom had purchased a heavy knit cable cardigan for her and that kept her warm all day. For someone who usually over packs and over prepares, I dropped the ball on that one. (I blame the tricky, unseasonably warm weather we'd been having here in the Midwest ALL the way up into just a few days before the wedding weekend)
The reception was held on a boat restaurant called Moshulu and it was gorgeous. Space was a little tight, but I liked that the guest list was small and everyone was able to mingle and get in a conversation with most everyone else there. The food was excellent and I'm pretty sure I stuffed myself on hors d'oeuvres before dinner was served. Later in the evening, there was dancing and Maddie--as tired as she was--pretty much danced up until the last song. That's when we decided it was time to go. We were so sure that she'd collapse into bed once we got back to the hotel--NOT the case! That girl did NOT want to go bed and have the night end. She was crying and throwing a fit until almost midnight. Siiiiighhhhh. Finally, she gave up and fell asleep and stayed in the same position all night. That's how I knew she was dead tired.
We met up with relatives at the Hilton at Penn's Landing for a nice brunch before heading back home. We only made one pit stop for 15 minutes and Maddie didn't complain once in the car. We couldn't have been more pleased with her on this trip (despite resisting bed time!).
Overall, a nice weekend and nice to catch up with relatives I hadn't seen in a decade or more. It made us all muse that we need to get together more often--especially as my grandmother, the matriarch-- will be turning 100 this February. That will only happen once. I know it's a lot of work to put a reunion together, and we're all spread out across the States...but I'm determined to do something next year. I feel like we'll all regret it down the road if we don't put the effort in.
Anyway, we arrived alright--although during Philly's rush hour--and picked up dinner before meeting my parents at a hotel in NJ just by the bridge. We had the pack-n-play but that didn't quite work out and Maddie slept in between us in the king sized bed both nights :/ When she wasn't squirming around like crazy, it wasn't too bad. I sure do love cuddling with her, but when she does sleep with us (which isn't often) we both don't sleep very well.
The next morning was spent running around after Maddie, attempting to get her to nap (to no avail) so she wouldn't be cranky during the 3:00pm wedding ceremony; taking my time getting ready, and in the meantime, Ryan took his one opportunity to do something "fun" and went to Philly to get a roast pork sandwich at Reading Terminal Market, during which he called just to let me know that I was missing out on some good stuff. It's definitely not that I didn't want to explore Philadelphia--but we specifically traveled there to go to a wedding with little time for much else, and I knew Ryan wouldn't need as much time as I did to get ready, not to mention I am the main person who takes care of all things baby and there is no way the three of us would have been able to sight see with a toddler AND get back to the hotel in time for the wedding. Men!
So the wedding ceremony was nice and small, held in a Unitarian church downtown. The weather was a LOT colder than I had anticipated and we were all under prepared. Luckily for Maddie, my mom had purchased a heavy knit cable cardigan for her and that kept her warm all day. For someone who usually over packs and over prepares, I dropped the ball on that one. (I blame the tricky, unseasonably warm weather we'd been having here in the Midwest ALL the way up into just a few days before the wedding weekend)
The reception was held on a boat restaurant called Moshulu and it was gorgeous. Space was a little tight, but I liked that the guest list was small and everyone was able to mingle and get in a conversation with most everyone else there. The food was excellent and I'm pretty sure I stuffed myself on hors d'oeuvres before dinner was served. Later in the evening, there was dancing and Maddie--as tired as she was--pretty much danced up until the last song. That's when we decided it was time to go. We were so sure that she'd collapse into bed once we got back to the hotel--NOT the case! That girl did NOT want to go bed and have the night end. She was crying and throwing a fit until almost midnight. Siiiiighhhhh. Finally, she gave up and fell asleep and stayed in the same position all night. That's how I knew she was dead tired.
We met up with relatives at the Hilton at Penn's Landing for a nice brunch before heading back home. We only made one pit stop for 15 minutes and Maddie didn't complain once in the car. We couldn't have been more pleased with her on this trip (despite resisting bed time!).
Overall, a nice weekend and nice to catch up with relatives I hadn't seen in a decade or more. It made us all muse that we need to get together more often--especially as my grandmother, the matriarch-- will be turning 100 this February. That will only happen once. I know it's a lot of work to put a reunion together, and we're all spread out across the States...but I'm determined to do something next year. I feel like we'll all regret it down the road if we don't put the effort in.
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