On the Road with the Taylors

June has been a busy month for The Taylors so I have fallen behind with the blog! The first weekend of the month we hit the road and headed to Cincinnati for my friend Emily's wedding! When she originally asked me to be a bridesmaid I was delighted!! Shortly thereafter we found out we would be having a little person just a few short weeks before the big day! This brought up several issues. First, I had to order my bridesmaid dress while I was several months pregnant so I basically had to guess how big I would be post-baby. (not an easy task!) Secondly we had to decide whether or not we would take the baby with us. That one was a big challenge. We went back and forth until my mom mentioned that she and my dad would go with us and help watch the baby while Sean and I attended the weekends events. So this left us with the final task (or so I thought... More on the later). Fly or drive?? Both options were frightening. We didn't know exactly when BGT would make her grand debut and since we had been warned that a c-section might be in our future, I was worried about flying possibly only a few weeks after major surgery! On top of that we didn't know whether BGT would be a calm baby or a screamer so we were a little scared about flying with a baby we didn't yet know. Once we looked at ticket prices for the five of us and compared it to the cost of a rental car with Sean's company discount we decided to make the 9 hour drive.

So remember when I said I thought we had crossed the last hurdle? Boy was I wrong! If you have ever packed for an infant you know exactly where this post is going. As I noted in a prior post, when we had to spend a few nights at my parents house I largely underestimated how much thought would go into packing for BGT and just how long it would take. WOW. So this go round, I planned everything out in advance. Packing the necessities- clothes, diapers, burp cloths, etc. was the easy part. I packed all of the items in zip lock bags to keep everything organized and easy for my mom to keep straight while I was away. Each outfit was stored in a separate bag with it's corresponding socks, hair accessory, and diaper cover if needed. I stored all of the clean sterilized bottles in a large Tupperware container. While I could have easily fit them in her suitcase, I put the rest of the bottle supplies and my extra pump accessories in a separate bag which would be easier for me to access in the car. The biggest challenge proved to be deciding how many bottles to take, where/when to pump and how to properly store milk while away from BGT. We learned shortly before our trip that our hotel room was not equipt with a refrigerator which was a huge hassle. We were told that we could rent one from the hotel for a small daily fee. The refrigerator we were given was tiny and old and froze nearly every bottle we put in it but at least it was something.

On the way up we had a great drive. Bennett Grace was so good in the car and we only had to stop once for gas and a second time to eat. We fed and changed her at both stops to avoid unnecessary stops. We got to got to hotel at about midnight local time and headed to bed.

Friday morning we had the bridesmaids brunch at Chez Nora where we had delicious broccoli and cheese quiche and mimosas! While I was at the luncheon BGT hung out with her daddy, Gigi and Papa D. They were told specifically that I did not like the idea of BGT going out on our tenth floor balcony and they did it anyway! Gigi tried to act innocent, however she took the picture documenting the event! Well, I like to think BGT was on my side because she rewarded them with an epic diaper explosion. After the luncheon I met up with the fam where they ate lunch and had a drink at Geez'l Pete's. It was a tiny hole in the wall place that was a little dingy so I had no idea what to expect but the food was great (or so I was told!)

Friday night after the rehearsal we enjoyed hors d'oeuvres from local eateries, drinks and dinner onboard the Destiny Yacht as we cruised down the Ohio River. The weather was wonderful and warm so we were able to sit out on the upper deck and enjoy the beautiful afternoon and once the sun went down we got to enjoy the beautiful nighttime view of the city. The Reds were playing at home so we got to catch glimpses of the game as we passed by. We had friends at the game who spotted our boat passing by so that was fun! To top it off we stayed out an extra hour courtesy of the groom so we could get to see the fireworks after the baseball game. It was a fun night!

Saturday morning we headed to the lovely Bride's house to get hair and makeup done before heading out for pictures. While we were getting ready Sean headed out to meet friends for a drink or two at  a bar in Newport on the Levee.

The wedding was beautiful and we had tons of fun at the reception. Emily looked fab as expected and naturally I shed a tear or two.  BGT of course was passed around a lot at the reception and got lots of sugar :) We took her out on the dance floor for a bit too! There was a photo booth and we couldn't resist getting BGT in on the action. We went back for round two but the booth was already shut down. We were a little bummed at first but made a quick recovery once we learned it was time for Karaoke! Our friends cant resist a microphone so it was quite entertaining. Sean of course sang several songs including the obvious choices, Regulators and Nuthin' but G Thang, with his friend Trent (who may or may not read our blog in secret.)

After the reception we headed to the hotel bar at the Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront to regroup. It was super crowded and there were three wedding parties there. We had all intentions of going out on the town but everyone was so worn out from the weekend so we stayed at the hotel.


On the way back BGT started out a little fussy but made a quick recovery and slept most of the way. We stopped once each for a bathroom break and to get gas and then a third time to swap drivers. Not too bad I'd say!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and great to see so many friends from across the country! (the bridesmaids alone were representing 4 states!) To Emil et Tom, we love you both so much and are so happy you let us be part of your special day! We wish you nothing but many many years of happiness :)