Easter

So, I realize I'm a few weeks late here, but I'm still playing catch-up from those first few crazy weeks of parenthood.

I've been saying for months - even a year or more - that I hoped we'd have our baby home in time for Easter this year. And God blessed us with just that. We arrived home six days before Easter. We weren't really planning to attend Easter services - we thought it would just be too much for Calvin. But when we saw how well Calvin was adjusting, we decided to give it a shot.

In fact, we also went to the Good Friday service two days before Easter. That service is very quiet and dark, so we thought it would be a good service for Calvin - less overwhelming that all the sounds and activity of Easter morning. I wound up spending most of the Good Friday service standing in the back of - or even outside - the sanctuary with Calvin, but it was nice that we were able to attend.

So, Sunday morning rolled around, and aside from the jet lag Calvin was still experiencing - and the resulting very tired set of parents - we felt like we were in good shape to try church. Calvin actually had an appointment at the urgent care clinic that morning to have his TB test read (gotta stick to that 48-72 hour rule), so Brad took him to that while I got ready. When they returned, we gave a Calvin a bottle and got him dressed for church.

We could tell when we got to church that Calvin was just a bit overwhelmed by everything - not that he was upset at all. He was just very quiet and checking everything out. We sat in the very back, which is the unofficial designated spot for young families at our church due to the easy get-away option through the back door!

Calvin did great! He just looked around during the song service and behaved wonderfully. Then we put him in the Ergo, knowing he was ready for a nap. He was a bit restless, so I left the sanctuary and walked the halls for a few minutes to help him go to sleep. I returned to the service, and he slept until after the it ended. Then there were many people wanting to meet Calvin - and he did so well! Brad or I held him the entire time, and he was perfectly content.

We headed home after that and gave Calvin his Easter basket. It wasn't so much "giving," I guess, as it was just setting it down beside him. Honestly, there really wasn't much in it - grass, empty plastic eggs, and a chocolate bunny that quickly melted and was eaten by Mom later in the week. :) We most likely wouldn't have even done an Easter basket with him being so young, but since it was his first holiday with us, I wanted to. It was a gorgeous spring day, and I lots of fun taking pictures!


Some of our friends from church have an Easter afternoon gathering each year, and we hadn't known whether we would try to attend this year or not. But Calvin seemed very happy, so we headed over there for a bit. We enjoyed some amazing food and wonderful fellowship with friends for about an hour and half before deciding we should call it a day. Calvin did well, but we could tell he was getting pretty restless and would be more content at home.

Honestly, I can't remember what we did for the rest of the day, except Calvin took a nap, and we talked to both sets of grandparents on the webcam - I think. My brain has been through a lot over the past three weeks, and I just can't recall everything. :)

We had a wonderful Easter with Calvin, and we look forward to many more years of holiday celebrations with him!