Busy 4th weekend

Wow! It feels like we have been running non-stop this weekend. We figured that we are only here for a year so we have to experience a little bit of everything. As a result we have been messing with Kaia's sleep quite a bit - pretty risky business for someone who still has some sleep issues.

Wednesday night we walked to the Newport Art Museum for a concert on the lawn. We managed to get Kaia to fall asleep on the way there so she got a little cat nap to help her through the later night. Once she was awake, she spend the whole time walking around saying hi to everyone. We did run into a couple of her friends (babies from our various activities). It is so great to see them recognize each other and get so excited.

Friday (the 4th) was a big day. We got up very early and headed to Bristol, RI. It is home of the oldest and longest running 4th of July parade. This year was the 223rd 4tho f July parade to be held there. They were expecting 200,000 people in this small town without many routes in or out. We luckily found out about a mansion museum on the parade route with a couple of acres of land. We bought tickets to spend the 4th there. They served breakfast and lunch and had tables and chairs set up in addition to bleachers right up on the parade route. It was also great because there was plenty of room to run around and to push a stroller in quiet areas to induce naps. It was a lot of fun and we were so happy to had experienced it. That night we walked to a local park here in Newport to watch the fireworks. Again we got Kaia to nap really late to help with the late night. We weren't sure how she was going to do with the fireworks and the noise. She didn't jump or cry, but instead she waved to the lights saying hi:) At the parade there were muskets, etc being shot off and all the other kids her age were screaming and crying, but Kaia was making her rounds saying hi to everyone and watching the parade go by.

Saturday was a lazy recovery day. The weather wasn't so great so it worked out well.

Today we headed to another local park for a free concert. Again Kaia made her rounds and chased after all of the dogs that she could see. The band that was playing was in a gazebo that had a few steps to get up to the playing area. Kaia loves climbing steps so where do you think she was?) I got her to sit down on one of the steps and she was just beaming as she looked straight up at one of the musicians. It is amazing how much she loves music. She was dancing during the concert which was cute, but we didn't expect her to try to be in the middle of it. From there we headed to the Navy War College (where Bryn goes to school). They had an Independence Celebration there today starting around 5pm and it all concluded with fireworks. So again we got Kaia to nap late and didn't get home until around 11pm tonight. On the 4th we were able to walk home from the fireworks, but tonight we got stuck in the mass of people trying to get out of the base. It was worth it. Kaia had a great time and the fireworks were amazing. They were so big and choreographed with the band and music that were playing.

It is midnight and I have to get to bed since tomorrow is the big day!!! Kaia turns one year old!!!! I really can't believe it. There were certain points of the day today that I took a second to remember what we were going through the same time last year. It is crazy how fast time flies and how quickly she is growing. I will try to highlight some new skills in the next blog, but for now I have to head to bed.