Fun, Festive Fourth

Rhea's first Fourth of July was really fun! The day started with me and Rachelle running out to iParty to pick up decorations so we could decorate the babies' strollers (an idea inspired by the show John and Kate Plus 8). I had so much fun decorating. I'm not an arts-n-crafts kind of person at all, but decking out the stroller really inspired me.

After the stroller was done, Dan, Rachelle and Vince came over for a small BBQ. The men went swimming, while the mommies and babies watched from the warm sidelines - the pool was WAY too cold for us! After swimming and eating, we took the kids over to the 4th of July parade in a neighboring town. It was so fun. Rhea had a blast. The parade was long though - an hour and a half. So, by the time it was over, Rhea and Vince were definitely ready to head back.

We had decided to break our cardinal rule of keeping to Rhea's schedule and keep her up to see fireworks last night. We altered her schedule throughout the day to make this happen - pushed eating times back and skipped bath time. Right before we left to go to the fireworks, we changed Rhea into her pajamas, just in case she was asleep when we got back.

The local fireworks started at 9:30 pm. Rhea was doing well until about 9:15. Then she started to get tired and cranky. About 5 minutes before the fireworks started, she curled up in my arms and that was it. I think she may have seen the first few fireworks light up the sky, but not much more than that. She slept through most of the show, including the finale, which was loud. Rhea was so exhausted that she didn't wake up when I buckled her in the car seat to come home or when I took her out of the car seat and carried her to bed. Not a peep! She slept all night and even slept in a little later than usual - 7:30 instead of 6:00.

Today we got her back on her schedule and I think she is still missing a little of her sleep from yesterday so we put her in bed a little early tonight. I think it was worth changing the schedule for one day - she got to experience so much and it helped make the holiday even more special for all of us.