Thursday, February 11, 2016

Finley's First Christmas and Wedding!

We made it to Florida not once, but twice in December!   The first trip was for Kris and Gabe's wedding (amazing and I need to do a separate post!) and the second trip was to spend Christmas with our families.  You could say it was a busy month...





But first, here's a few pics from Finley's first trip to see Santa Claus.  We went to the mall in Northbrook, a northwest suburb of Chicago, mostly because it was close and they allowed for online reservations.  Note to self: reservations are the way to go if that line was any indication!   We went after work so Tom could join us and we quickly learned that they don't call it the "witching hour" for nothing!  Finley was not in the best of moods so we got the requisite baby crying photo with Santa.  Also, how great is that Santa?!  I think he may be the real deal...







Even while waiting in line, you can see he was not impressed....






Of course, he was all smiles as soon as we were done!  Little stinker :)  His smile goes straight to my heart!


Now onto other random Christmas shots we took throughout the month.   Well this next one is technically not "Christmasy" but it's too cute not to share ;) little cubby bear





Somebody's stocking is bigger than the others (as it should be!)...


Shopping for his first Christmas Tree!




We stayed at my parent's house for Christmas but made it a priority to split our time between Tom's family and my family as much as possible.  It was busy but we are so happy we could be with everyone after such a special year!   It was also unseasonably hot - in the 80's - so I was glad I had the hand-me-down's Karly had given Finn. I remembered to grab them on the way to the airport - otherwise, he would have been pretty hot in his Chicago gear!

"Opening" his first present ;)



Christmas Jammies!






Just a small portion of his presents...he is a very loved kiddo!


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Some pretty adorable pics under the tree with his cousins!  Nonnie got the outfits and they were super cute!

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Sweaty baby on the way to get oysters at our favorite oyster bar, Hunt's


More of his Florida attire



Airport baby


This was pretty much our set-up for both flights - he had his own seat for most of it and it made it really easy.   He slept almost the whole way.  Traveling with an infant/baby is a lot easier than older babies or so I hear.






The Wedding
The wedding was at the beginning of the month and it was so beautiful!  Kris and Gabe had to scramble and find new locations halfway through the planning process and ended up with an even better location: the Meeting House at Carillon for the ceremony and Runaway Island for the reception.  Both families are pretty large but it managed to feel intimate and special.  Everything from the flowers to the makeup to the weather couldn't have been better and Kris and Gabe have never looked more stunning.  Holly Gardner did a fantastic job capturing it all!  Tom and I felt blessed to be a part of their wedding and I'm so glad Finley was able to make it and be a part of it as well!  Their original date was in October so we were thisclose to missing it.   Sometimes things happen for a reason I suppose :)

I have to note that it felt different being at a wedding as a mom with a newborn (he was 2 months at the time). Normally I'm out on the dance floor tearing it up, but I was more concerned about helping my parents keep an eye on Finley.  Tom made up for it by dancing up a storm for the both of us (the guy has got moves!) so I think we were still well represented, ha.  It did make me a bit sad though, because I didn't quite recognize myself...not really sure how to explain it.  Post baby headspace can be weird.  However,  I had an absolutely wonderful time celebrating with family and friends and we are so excited for the happy couple!

Also, thank goodness she picked black for the bridesmaids!   It is so much more forgiving when you are still making your way back to your pre-baby body.   It was interesting shopping for it because I kept dropping weight (not that I'm complaining!) so a dress that fit the week before would all of a sudden be too big.  Rent the Runway to the rescue..again ;)  Also, my mom is a safety pin ninja and was able to alter the dress when it was still a bit baggy for me which helped a lot.    I wore this dress with lot of spanx!



 Here's a few photos from the day!





















What a great month - gonna be hard to top :)

xoxo,
Meg

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