Monday, January 25, 2010

Would YOU Take a One-Year-Old to a Wedding?

We travelled to Canberra for a wedding over the weekend... 4.5 hours in the car with a 12 month-old baby = fun times! My parents came down with us to babysit Fern throughout the reception which was nice, but we decided to take her along with us to the church ceremony. I had my 'bag of tricks' and thought she might just sit contentedly on our laps. Ha!


The extreme heat over the weekend meant that even inside the big stone church it was a good 30+ degrees, and we were broiling from the moment we all squeezed into the pew. Fern did sit on her dad's lap... for about 12 seconds while she munched on some sultanas, then proceeded to squirm from his lap onto the floor and then crawled into the isle where she threw sultanas around like rice confetti and then ate them off the floor. V glamorous, my daughter.

Once she grew bored of flinging sultanas, my daughter discovered the flowers tied to the end of the pews and I spent most of the remainder of the service prying orchid stems from between her sticky fingers...

Fern's latest trick (and we have no idea where this has come from) is this sort of fake, chipmunk giggle which, once she gets started, she can continue for hours at a time. The wedding was apparently hilarious to my daughter, who laughed like a hyena, causing people to turn around and no doubt wonder what type of marsupial had escaped from a zoo into the church. By this stage I was hiding in another pew with my head hidden; so I could only shake my head in bemusement.

Yes; it's interesting times with a baby/ almost toddler.... but I wouldn't have it any other way.


Have a great week!

6 comments:

  1. Well I admit I wouldn't have done it. It was the brides big day after after all, not your daughters, why didn't you just take her outside?

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  2. I just how ppl slip into the anonymous shoes when they leave a picky comment.

    As a Mummy to a very active, very curious little toddler myself I had a good giggle at Miss Fern's antics. Very cute, very typical behaviour from a one year old! :)

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  3. oh goody, my first snarky bit of feedback! Bring it!

    The thing is, it was an awfully large church and I highly doubt her antics were even noticed by the bride and/ or groom. If she had started making a really loud noise, or cried, or banged something or done anything inappropriate that way of course I would have removed her from the church. In fact, my dad sat up the back of the church to rescue her if any of that happened. As it was, she was just a little restless and amusing to the couple of pews that witnessed her antics. None of them gave me dirty looks, so perhaps I was exaggerating for the sake of this story -- as it is an author's perogative to do!

    xo

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  4. I have the same dilema coming up soon :) We have a wedding at the end of February by which time Grace will be 9 1/2 months. It's an outdoor wedding so hopefully it won't be too hot - I'm guessing I'll have to do the same as you suggested and bring along a bag 'supplies' to keep her occupied.

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  5. Go Fern! - why should you be ex-communicated from the ceremonies?? I fall into the category of believing that children should be welcomed and included at wedding's. I have heard of weddings that go out of their way to include many kids, give them roles, and let them feel special and enjoy themselves.
    Why does it have to be a serious and solemn event?
    Also, my kids have all helped clean the floor of old churches with their lovely outfits (I see that more as the problem here).
    So long as they aren't screaming their heads off, what's the biggie. Gotta love them. Isn't love what it's all about?

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  6. ha ha, couldn't agree more! Thanks Katie... xo

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