First Parade

I reluctantly took Raquel to her first parade this morning. I wasn't planning on going because I thought it would be too overwhelming for her, but after speaking with Jennifer last Friday, was convinced that I should give it a try. I can't just keep her inside and away from overstimulating things. That's not how life works.

She did really well - that is, until the parade started. But, in all fairness to her, the parade started almost an hour late and she was a trooper waiting and lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours. The last half hour wasn't pretty. She seemed very tired and just over being there. And, I didn't handle it well. One of the things Jennifer told me was to read her cues and act on them. I could tell she was getting irritated but thought that once the parade actually started, she might enjoy it. I should have left when I noticed her becoming aggitated but instead I allowed her to escalate. And escalating is not a good thing.

My sister pushed her in the stroller, screaming and kicking, while I lugged all of the stuff I had taken with me back to the car. Once I put her in the car seat, she stopped. It was as though she just needed a familiar place. She was happy and laughing all the way to my dad's house, where we waited until the parade was over.

The experience didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I'm glad I took her. It was nice to hang out with some family, and really good for Gabby to get out and have some fun with her cousins.

I love this picture of Raquel and Steve (my niece, Lauren's, husband). They just moved back from North Carolina and we hadn't seen them since January. Raquel went right to him. She must have felt all of his positive energy! :-)