Saturday, February 14, 2015

Rites of Passage

My Rosie Girl turned 8 in December...and she is about halfway through her 2nd grade year. While this time in her life is full of milestones - there is a pretty big one on her horizon this spring. My baby is receiving her First Holy Communion.

When I think back on my childhood, my First Holy Communion is one of the first major events that I remember completely and clearly. I remember dress shopping (and my Grandma diagnosing my chicken pox in her kitchen while I was showing off my dress to everyone). I remember my excitement that morning and the Mass at my school. I remember the taste of the host, the breeze in the air and the party that followed. There are days when I can't believe that my baby, who I swear was just learning to walk and talk a moment ago, is ready to begin her preparation for this sacrament.

When I went dress shopping for my Communion dress, it was my Mom and Aunt Fran who took me - my mother and Godmother. So it seemed fitting and appropriate that our first trip out to find a dress for my precious girl should be with her Aunt Tessie, my best friend and her Godmother. 

I didn't know where to begin to find this dress. Fortunately, we had planned a trip to visit Teresa for Valentine's Day and she was able to find a boutique.

After breakfast today, we braved the snow and slush and headed over to Small Frye's Boutique. The experience from the moment we walked in the door was absolutely amazing. Rosie was ushered into the back room which was literally LINED with dresses. Communion gowns in all shapes, colors and sizes. Teresa and I zoned in on the size 7 dresses and started pulling them out for Rosie to try on. Ro was escorted into the fitting room by one of the incredibly kind women who run Small Frye's. 

I think Rosie must have tried on 30 different dresses. Some of them were eliminated right away. Like this one:


She liked it...of course...but the next one had a little more sparkle:

And we know how my girl loves sparkle!!The third one she put on was elaborate, sequined, beaded, over-the-top and totally made me cry:

The picture really doesn't do this dress justice. My instinct was that this dress was going to be "the" dress. When they saw me crying - they added to it by adding a veil to my baby girl's head...




Rosie seriously took my breath away. Watching her with a veil and tiara on was more than I could handle! She is just such a beauty - inside and out - and there was something about seeing her all dressed up like this that had me so emotional.

She was gorgeous in this dress. But this snazzy dress wasn't the "one" that my girl would pick to be her special dress for her First Holy Communion.

This dress was indeed one of the final two that she selected from her five favorites. Ultimately, this dress was eliminated because it was the heavier of the two dresses. This dress weighed at least 20 pounds! She complained that the appliques bothered her shoulders at the seams and that the dress was heavy on her shoulders. As I looked at the dress more, I realized that in addition to being a complicated dress with beading and sequins, it was also a somewhat ill-fitted dress that would need some alterations. 

I won't be including a picture of "the" dress in this post. You'll see that on May 2! Needless to say, the dress that my beautiful girl picked for this most special occasion is elegant and graceful...it is a dress that reflects and amplifies the spirit within her. It is perfect. 

I hope that Rosie remembers her dress shopping experience when she is older. I know it is an event that I won't be forgetting! At one point during our shopping experience, we FaceTimed Nonna, who was at home in Delaware. Prior to our trip, I had asked Rosie if she was OK going shopping without Nonna and Auntie. She wanted them both there, but she wanted Aunt Tessie too and finding a time for all five of us to be together proved to be a challenge. She asked if my Grandma went shopping with me and when I told her no, she asked if we FaceTimed her. Isn't it amazing how much the world has changed! Isn't it wonderful that my beautiful daughter was able to share this exciting event with my beautiful Mom through the power of technology?

While we all liked different dresses - we all agreed on one thing. My girl is going to be beautiful on May 2. Inside and out.

Here are a few other pictures from our trip:

Facetiming with Nonna

My girl trying to narrow down her favorites

She wanted to try on a "poofy dress with roses." This fit the bill, but was rejected almost right away.
We were THRILLED when she didn't like this one...is was $980!


Aunt Tessie loved her in cap sleeves - and I liked them too. But they weren't Rosie's favorite. 



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