Caroline's 1st Nutcracker

Last week Caroline and I went to see the Nutcracker! All day long she told every person who would listen that she was going to see the Coconut.

I'm pretty sure I'm still on a mama high from the experience. Before I even met Matt I dreamed of the precious mama moments I would have with my future children. This was one of them. Hands down, this was my absolute favorite thing I've ever done with Caroline and I will never ever forget the magic of the night -- and I don't think she will either.

We were invited to attend Charlotte Ballet's Media Night performance, the night before the grand opening, so the theater was completely empty with the exception of a few photographers and guests. Preceding the performance we attended a cocktail reception where mommy grabbed some bubbly and we filled our plates with mini sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres before settling in to our seats.

When the ushers opened the doors they directed us to the main floor. Level one. Front row. I still cannot believe this happened. I've never attended a Nutcracker performance where the dancers looked larger than the size of an ant from my balcony seat. And here we were front row -- an experience I had never imagined I would have with my little girl because let's be honest, I would never pay for a front row ticket for a 3 year old. Not only could we see the facial expressions of the dancers and every detail of the set, our seats looked right into the orchestra. We could even hear every word of the conductor. It. was. unreal. 

I was confident that after a full day of school and a 7 pm performance (her bedtime), that Caroline would make it about 20 minutes before she either passed out or got bored. Nope. At intermission I asked her if she was ready to go home and she looked offended. She was so infatuated with the performance that we decided to stay through Act 2 -- but not before loading up on the special intermission treats!

Peanutcracker ice cream for Caroline & boozy hot chocolate for mama.

At the end of the performance the theater passed out cookies as favors while Caroline passed out in my arms. It was the perfect night with my baby girl.