Vivid 2018

On a whim, we decided to go to brave the Friday night crowds and checkout Vivid with Penelope. 

We didn't get to see everything, it's just so spread out and we have limited time considering I didn't want to have to stop and feed Penelope along the way, since it was cold and windy out. We saw some of the exhibits at Circular Quay and everything in the Botanical Garden. What we did get to see was pretty fun, but not mind-blowing. The Opera House always looks pretty impressive, and the Botanical Garden stuff was okay. Our favorite installment was the one pictured above, with Penelope in her warm bear suit, just transfixed. 

I normally enjoy Vivid, but wasn't crazy about braving the crowds with a baby this year. In the end, I'm glad we went. It's funny, because I think of these first few years with a baby as time where you're teaching them what is "normal". You teach them how to walk and talk and eat, how to have a routine, just generally what people do. As our friend, Andy says, "Penelope is learning how to human". And so, when we go to events like Vivid, which are a kind of a celebration of novel and strange art and experiences, I wonder if Penelope thinks, "Oh yeah, this is just another normal thing", even though it really isn't normal anywhere else, or any other time of year. 

It was enjoyable to watch Penelope just stare wide-eyed at the spectacle and the crowd. Towards the end she succumbed to sleep, and held out until we got home to eat without a tear. Then she fought sleep until 10:30PM, which was our fault for taking her out late to begin with, but it was worth it.