The Story of Us: Fun but Hard Day

Today was a hard day. Probably harder for me than it was for Maddy. This afternoon we went to Anthony's parents to celebrate birthdays with the Munaco side of the family. Maddy had an awesome first nap at home and I felt we were on track for a good second nap and a pleasant afternoon. Not so much...

cute picture of the wide-eyed girl this morning

'helping' Mommy with the laundry

the new do - curly style

When we got to Anthony's parents and it was time for Maddy to go down for her nap, she really struggled. She was in a new environment and there was a log of excitement going on getting set up for the party. She finally did fall asleep, but was only able to rest for about 25 minutes. Definitely not enough to get us through the afternoon/evening. She was pretty cranky/fussy all through the party and I ended up keeping her in the family room, away from the action and most of the people the entire time. She was clingy and quick to cry at everyone - except Mom and Anna, who were such a HUGE help to me. Even a walk didn't bring her much comfort! It was hard balancing her mood with knowing how much everyone wanted to see her. And it was even harder for me not to feel like I was a part of the party at all - pretty much nonstop Maddy duty. I did get the chance to eat some very yummy food and pack up food for Anthony and dessert to eat at home. Once we got home, Maddy calmed down for her bath and bedtime and was very happy to snuggle into her bed for a good night's rest.

On a side note, I'm having a hard time deciding when to try to keep Maddy up to say good night to Anthony when he gets home and when to just cut our losses and put her to bed. We've decided that on the days when his team is on call (every other day, his leave time is less reliable) I'll just plan to put her to bed. On the other days, I will do my best to keep her up to see him. Hopefully this will give us a good plan to work from.