Of course, Etta had no idea what was going to happen so she didn't have to anticipate the event for four months, but I knew. And I was just SO excited for what she was going to experience.
So, the day finally came. I sent her to school that day. I gave her a bath that morning and I dressed her in her special shirt that my friend Lydia over at Layne James Embroidery and Designs made for her. (It turned out SO awesome! There were several emails back-and-forth FULL of ideas on my end. Lydia did a great job of sorting though all of my ideas and totally hit the nail on the head with the design she came up with. I mean, the sparkles/sequins on the guitar? I died! Go follow her on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/LayneJamesEmbroidery )
I picked her up from school about 25 minutes early so we could stop in and get her glasses adjusted in Cool Springs on our way north. Then, a fellow Ds Momma, Jennifer, and her daughter Jennalyn met us in the parking lot and they hopped in our car with us and we rode up to Opry Mills together. We had planed to grab dinner at a Mexican restaurant, but the wait was too long. So, we just got dinner at a quick burger place inside the mall before we walked over to The Opry House for the concert.
After we finished dinner, we quickly walked over to the Grand Ole Opry House. Jennifer and Jenna's seats were on the floor and we were up on the mezzanine. So, we said "see ya" to them and we went off to find our seats.
We got to our seats at 6:20, the show was supposed to start at 6:30, but it was closer to 6:40. Etta doesn't wait well, and those ten extra minutes were torture for her (and me. Ha!). I kept her somewhat entertained with the iPod Touch and episodes of The Fresh Beat Band.
Then. Finally. The lights went down and the music came on and THERE THEY WERE!!! I was so excited for my sweet girl that I totally teared up! Etta had a mini freak out just after the opening song, but then they played a song that she recognized and she "got it".
(VIDEO)
I totally sang along to every song. By the end of the night, I felt like I had really been to a concert. I know it was for kids, but it was a real CONCERT. I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the night! I wish I had packed her chewey because it was total sensory overload and she chewed on her thumb all night and did that newish stim with her fingers. I should have anticipated that she would need an outlet, but I guess she made do with her fingers.
And then, as you saw, they sang "Great Day" and said goodbye. We headed back and met back up with Jennifer and Jennalyn.
(A couple of action shots of Jenna that I stole from Jennifer's Facebook page. Don't worry, I had permission.)
On our way out to the car, Etta said goodbye to each of the Fresh Beats (they weren't actually there. She was just saying a general goodbye to them and the concert as we were walking away). "Goobye Kiki", "Goobye Shou", "Goobye wis", "Goobye M-e-na". It was precious! (For you non-Fresh Beat watchers, that's Kiki, Shout, Twist, and Marina)
The next morning she spent some time with her concert program. Love her!
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