2 Little Girls As My Wedding Dates

sister time at the hotel in Seattle

Last month we traveled to Seattle for a dear friend's wedding. This was our second trip with two kids. Aria not yet 3 years and Ireland only 8 weeks old. It was fun to be together as a family roaming around the city. We stayed at a boutique hotel in the the heart of the city one night and then moved out by the harbor the next couple nights.

 I love Seattle! I can share with you all of my favorite places, but that is for another blog.

All went quite smooth in this rainy city UNTIL the wedding. 

Aria ready to party at the wedding

I do not know what I was thinking, but I guess I wasn't thinking. 

I have the after pregnancy breastfeeding mommy brain, so I guess that is my excuse. (but won't that excuse be ours for the rest of our lives mommies? That is a scary thought)

 I knew my husband would be occupied as the best man and so it was me and the girls on our own for the wedding.  

Me, on my own. 

Knowing that already should have been a red flag for me to be creative and get my arsenal of distractions ready, but did I? No, I left the car like the scattered mom that I am. I left the car secured and locked with all toys, extra snacks and the kindle (my husband kept the keys) and I followed my daughter to where she wanted to sit in the church with two boys she had played with the night before. 

My 3 Big Mistakes!

1) leaving the car keys with my husband (who would be standing on stage all wedding)

2) leaving toys, extra snacks and the kindle in the car! (my distraction kit)-Please tell me other mommies do this all the time too? So I don't feel like such a loser!

3)sitting in the middle of the church surrounded by other guests 

I should have sat myself and my girls in our own little quiet corner, maybe I should have even looked for a mommy room where I could still see the ceremony, but be hidden away from all civilization and those who don't know what it is like to have two littles. (thank God for churches who have those kind of rooms! The Holy Spirit must have been speaking to some amazing women in those churches)

Well all seemed to be going well. 

The ceremony hadn't started.

Aria was happily talking to the boys in our row. Ireland was still content and sleeping in her car seat after her morning mommy milk breakfast. I was talking with my dear friends sitting nearby.

Aria began to whine " I want a snack mama!" so I reached down to find a snack, praying there actually was one. Fortunately I found a left over bag of yogurt covered blueberries in the diaper bag and handed it to her. she sat joyfully and ate them. Success!

 Then the procession began. Our dear friend the groom looked so happy as he watched his beautiful bride walk down the aisle (I held up Aria so she could see). I thought of how excited I was to witness this moment for our friend who we had prayed would find someone for many years. He had also waited to kiss his bride on the lips until their wedding day. How cool and next to impossible is that? I was giddy to see their first kiss!! 

As the music died down and all was getting quiet, Aria discovered that the blueberry snack was coming to an end and the packaging made a really cool loud crinkling noise. So she began to find great entertainment in making noise with her new toy. I quickly grabbed it to stop her and across her face was this look of betrayal and the beginning of a scream, so I hovered over her and shushed her as quietly as I could. A minute or so later, when I wasn't looking, Aria found an envelope in the chair pocket in front of her and began to crinkle it and look at me as if " now what are you gonna do mom?". I pulled that away and began the shushing process all over again.

Well as the ceremony got even more quiet Ireland started to move her head in that "I'm getting hungry and I am about to cry now" kind of way so I quickly grabbed my nursing cover, unbuttoned my top and pulled her to me and tried to master the art of an amazingly smooth latch job. Sigh, done. 

Then Ireland started to suck loud, snort and breathe heavy as she nursed and I was sure all around could hear and were being distracted from watching their friends get married, with the fact that a baby was attached to a boob and feeding. All I could do was turn red with embarrassment, as I  imagined Ireland's thirsty noises were creating a visual for ALL that a baby was greedily enjoying my nipple!!! She sounded like a dog lapping up water after a very long walk!  And if things couldn't get worse, Aria decided it would be a fun activity to lift my nursing cover up and over her head like a parachute game as she giggled with glee. I was mortified and tried to whisper yell (thats a mommy term, I think most moms know how to- "whisper yell") "Aria, stop it, stop it now!" I whisper yelled over and over. Aria continued to giggle and hide in and out, in and out, as I held onto the nursing cover for dear life. Ireland meanwhile, was getting fussy because I was moving so much from my nursing cover "Tug of War" with Aria that I decided to put Ireland on the other side and move my nursing cover to the other half of me. As I moved my cover away from Aria's grasp, I heard the pastor say,

 "And now the couple would like to read their personal vows to each other". 

Just then, Aria shouted for all to hear "Hey! you're not sharing! Mommy! You're not sharing with me!". All because I pulled the nursing cover away from her. It was her new toy I had deprived her of. Then Ireland let out a cry and all I could think of to do was to leave! To escape from embarrassment. Leave my seat. Go somewhere to nurse in peace and stop distracting everyone. I rushed out of our row with Ireland and the nursing cover around me like a backwards mommy cape. I wasn't  even thinking what do with Aria in this moment, I just needed to escape. As I ran to the back rows,  a cry rang out "mommy! " from where I had left Aria and suddenly I saw my friend scoop Aria up and rush her to me. We both ran with the kids down the stairs to the comfort of a table with no onlookers. My friend quickly pulled out his phone like the skilled dad he is and started playing the movie Frozen for Aria to watch. She was instantly so happy and clueless to the chaos and drama she just caused me. Now was my chance to let out a terrified laugh at all that just happened and how ridiculous it was. My laughter then turned to self pity that I didn't  get to see much of my friend's wedding at all. As Aria giggled and smiled watching Frozen. My heart rate started to slow and I sat there thinking of my mistakes and what I could have done differently.

Maybe instead of just the 3 Big Mistakes I mentioned previously , maybe it really should be 5 Big Mistakes:

4) watching young children on your own at a wedding 

5) bringing your children to a wedding!!!

I can dwell on these mistakes.  I can think of all the ways other moms may judge me and feel like a failure or I can use them to fuel the success of my next venture out with the kids. I will choose the latter, knowing I will always want to get out with my kids and experience life and travel no matter what, even if it means I have quite a few embarrassing mommy moments to share! How bout you? Any you would be willing to share with me?

Sweet moments at the wedding after party. So happy for you David and Diane!