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Big Sunday
As I sit here in my mom’s extremely cluttered living room, listening to the washing machine work over-time on my fifty-seven loads of laundry and Baby Bug snoring softly in her bassinet beside me, my shoulders ache and I wonder what to write about… Should I keep it light and talk about the fun I had with my nieces painting rocks in the front yard while Baby Bug slept in the house contentedly on her Grandma’s big soft belly? Or should I write about Baby Bug’s first day at Sunday School and my first day back to meeting (church for those who are not long time readers). I’m tempted to keep it light. It’s past my bedtime. My shoulders are killing me and I feel like I’m a million years old. But it would be a shame not to jot just a few words down.
Today was a big day. It was Baby Bug’s first day to go to Sunday School and it was my first day back after being gone for ten years. Sure, I’ve come and gone now and then over the years but I lurked. I stayed in the shadows and avoided people as best I could. I kept a low profile because when I left the meeting, it wasn’t on the best of terms and a bunch of other stuff that I’ve written about before but is now lost in my many archives. I thought they were gone for good but I guess if you click on the right things you can still find them somewhere. Good luck on that. I’m offering no help.
Today I was back and I was officially welcomed. It was strange but good. From the Aunts coming at me with opened arms and a cups of hot coffee to my Uncle standing up after the breaking of bread and giving a little speech about joy and reconciliation… it was just a lot to take in. And I hate to admit it but I think I was mostly just self conscious because I had a little baby with me. I was very aware of her ability to squeal and cry and bring even more attention my way.
Thankfully, the meeting room proved to be quite interesting to Baby Bug. She loved the hymn singing and all the loud clear voices quoting scriptures and praying. She spent a lot of time checking out the ceiling fan whirring up above her and looking at the big black and white contrasting letters of the verses that were hung on the walls. She listened to her great uncle give the gospel with better attention than her seven-year-old cousin who was sitting beside her.
After the meetings were over, she was a really good baby and only had “stranger anxiety” with a few people who got too close too fast or laughed a little too loud when she wasn’t expecting it. Sometimes I think Baby Bug is the most fussy when she is bored. When we stay home all day doing the normal routine she can be a regular Miss Crankypants. But when we’re out and there are new things coming at her from every direction, she’s the perfect angle baby. I always expect her to have a rough time when I take her to the mall or the grocery store or like today a big new building with new sounds and new faces… but she loves all the stimulus. Her eyes are bugging out of her head and she probably skips a few naps but she’s very well behaved. She smiles and laughs and coos like a perfect little baby. And when we gets home she goes right to sleep with no fussing at all. She’s tired.
I’m tired. We are both just wore out. But it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been good for my heart. Maybe I’ll write more about the rock painting and the big Sunday dinner and my never ending laundry tomorrow. Or not. Maybe I’ll have something even better to write about. I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow.
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The All-Day Walk
When I set out on my walk today, I had no idea it would turn into a five hour hoof-a-thon. I only packed two diapers in my purse, which is the usual for a quick 45 minute walk to the beach and back. (You just never know when you might have a poopy diaper blow-out). Today my destination was the toy store. It’s just down Pacific Coast Highway about four or five blocks. Easy as pie. Except I was on a mission to find Baby Einstein movies, since you all have convinced me that they are “crack for babies”. I wouldn’t want to deprive Baby Bug an experience like that.
Yesterday I checked the small library that is only two blocks away and they didn’t have them. The librarian put in a request for two dvd’s to be sent over from another library but she couldn’t make any promises how soon they’d get here. That’s way too long for me. So today I set out with a mission: Must find baby crack movies.
When the toy store proved to be completely useless, I decided to walk a few more blocks to a children’s consignment store. They didn’t have any but they did have two very cute Ralph Lauren dresses for twelve bucks. Score. After that I decided to walk to Block Buster. I hate Block Buster. I vowed I’d never go in that store again after I was plagued with the nine-dollar-late-fee every time I ever rented anything. But I’m a mom now and I’ve softened a little bit. I can break my personal boycott for the sake of my darling baby. But no. Blockbuster didn’t have them either. They had about nine-thousand Dora the Explorer dvd’s but no Baby Einstein.
Then I decided I should check out Rite Aid and since I was close by, why not go a few blocks further and take a peek in the little cottage furniture boutique. Of course Rite Aid didn’t have anything and after scouting the furniture boutique I decided I might as well head across the street and a shopping center later to the local big library. Maybe after that why not just hit the mall? It was only maybe a mile further. There’s a new two story Barnes & Noble going in, they might have them…
The local big library did have one dvd and I checked it out with a big fat smile on my face. But I had to hurry because by then, Baby Bug decided to wake up and make all kinds of noise that is not allowed inside a library. We rushed outside with our contraband and I snuck around the back of the library to feed Baby Bug some boob. Breast feeding rocks. No bottles and always handy. I can walk for days and I’ll always be able to take care of her.
Happily fed and a clean diaper later, we decided to trek on further to the mall. Why stop now? No blisters yet and Baby Bug was having the time of her life looking at the great big world while front-facing in the baby carrier. By then I was hankering for a burrito from the mall’s downstairs food court.
The two-story Barnes and Noble wasn’t open yet but the food court most definitely was. I ordered my favorite California burrito (cause it has avocado in it) and ate it outside in a big plastic chair from Design Within Reach that made me feel like I was sitting in a big round bowl. It was quite challenging to eat a burrito with a baby in my lap but I’m getting used to these challenges. I even managed to pour a little cup of mango salsa into my burrito with one hand on the burrito and one hand on the baby. I feel like I’ve grown two extra arms since I became a mother.
After that I decided to head up the hill to the grocery store and get some groceries. Of course I couldn’t carry them all back home with me, not only because I couldn’t carry that much but also because home was about five miles away by now. So I called Toby and he came to rescue us.
I kinda wish I had walked all the way home again. That would have made a better story. But just the same it was one big long walk. I sure wish I would have put on something cuter and maybe done my hair a little nicer before I set out. But I had no idea my short walk to the toy store was going to turn into an all day event.
