Charlotte's First Easter

Not-so-picture-perfect. By the time Chris got the tripod set up, Charlotte's patience had dwindled.

Charlotte's first Easter basket. And if you're thinking that looks like a tutu around the basket, you're right. What did the Easter bunny bring? An exhausting Easter Sunday for Miss Charlotte. Our traditional afternoon Easter mimosas--except that this year the champagne was so good that we decided not to spoil it with orange juice.

"Chris, when you take a picture of the Easter table, make sure the swing and other clutter stay out of the photo." Ah, well.

Yesterday we celebrated Charlotte’s first Easter. We started the day by hauling a very groggy but very well-dressed little girl to the car before 7:00 a.m. in order to make it to the church’s early service. The drive to Bethesda from Poolesville—which takes place entirely on backcountry roads—was stunning. The sun had just risen, mist still hung around in some of the lower valleys, and the day promised to be utterly beautiful. And it was! For the first time, we dared to leave Charlotte in the church nursery. I figured that one little hour wouldn’t hurt her, and it was time to get in the habit of parting with her. Besides, that’s why they have nurseries—so screaming babies don’t distract everyone. Church itself was great—brass, orchestra, and a couple hundred voices made for an uber traditional, celebratory, happy Easter Sunday. At one point during the hymn “Thine Is the Glory,” I realized that both Chris and I were swaying back and forth as though we were rocking a baby. This kid of ours has even affected how we stand! We looked super cool, I’m sure. Charlotte did a fantastic job during her first stay in a non-family member’s care, but I couldn’t wait to see her by the time I got down to the nursery to pick her up! I feel like I’m missing a limb when she’s not with me, and I really do miss her! We were home by 9:30 a.m., and Chris made a batch of pancakes while Charlotte went through her Easter basket, which consisted of a bunny stuffed animal, a board book about a bunny, a plush Easter egg with a mini plush Minnie Mouse inside, and a package of pacifiers. The pacifiers were by far the biggest hit. The rest of the day consisted of dinking around. The weather hit around 80 degrees, so it definitely felt like spring! For my first foray into baking since Charlotte’s birth (and to make a dessert for Easter dinner, of course), I made a chocolate coconut rum cake. (I had a dream about one a couple nights ago and couldn’t get it out of my mind. Besides, it’s a spring dessert in my opinion, seeing as how I experienced my first tropical rum cakes in the Cayman Islands during a particularly fun spring break my senior year of college.) Chris made what has become our traditional Easter dinner: ham, German potato salad, and green beans. I’ve always loved Easter, but this year was especially nice with the unbelievable sunny weather, the joy of putting together an Easter basket for my little girl, and, of course, celebrating as a family in our new home.