Oh what a night! I have been singing that phrase over and over the past few days, you want to know why? Let me tell ya!
Let's go back to Friday morning......Amanda and I had planned to just stay home because as she puts it, "it is just easier to stay home!" She never felt this way before baby Amelia arrived. :) We saw an ad on the TV for Build a Bear Workshop and remembered that we still had a gift card to use to build a bear. We have had the card for almost a year, maybe 2......but we were waiting for special occasion to use it. We decided we would celebrate being a big sister and would go that afternoon.....
We had to pack the diaper back, nurse Amelia, change her diaper, get her dressed, change her diaper again, and nurse again, change her cl0thes again, and her diaper and then we were finally ready, but by then it was 2:00. But that's OK, that is just the life of having a baby, that is why I don't dare plan anything right now with anyone who isn't flexible. Since that is just the key to our lives right now. FLEXIBILITY.
We had a bit of a drive to get there, (a little longer since I was driving and didn't obey the GPS)
On the way there Forgetful Mommy of the year, remembered that she had forgotten the gift card but wasn't about to turn around due to traffic and trying to time things just right with a baby's schedule, she would just put it on her credit card and use the gift card another time........
By the time we arrived, sweet Amelia needed to be changed, and fed, and then changed again. Poor Amanda was saying, "I just want to go home!" She is getting tired of me feeding Amelia so much. :( The minute we got into the mall I heard the words I have been dreading since Amelia was born ....."mommy, I have to go potty" Ugh.
Now we have used many public potties because you can't avoid them forever and I tried.....and I have my mini Lysol and Dora seat covers but I dreaded this because it was the first time with Amelia and a huge stroller.
How in the world would I be in the stall with my daughter to clean the seat and all with a stroller? We decided to just leave the door open so I could have the stroller outside the stall behind me. It worked, and now that we have done this....we can't say public potties and the whole preschooler touching everything game isn't going to freak Germophobic mommy out.....but at least I know we can handle it and still be OK.
We finally got to the Build a Bear store and picked out a bear, stuffed it, put a heart in it, washed it, dressed it, and registered it on the computer so we could get a bunch of unwanted emails/offers sent to us, named it, and printed out the birth certificate and then it was time to wait in line to pay.........only Forgetful Mommy of the year had a very awful thought when looking for her credit card.....oops, the credit card isn't in my purse.......... it is on the couch by the computer because I was paying a bill online prior to coming. YIKES!
Since Forgetful Mommy of the year doesn't carry cash...she couldn't afford to pay for the bear we had just made! Oh my, Forgetful Mommy of the year had to explain to the cashier that she left her cc at home. The sweet cashier said she would just save it in a box for us to pick up the next day.
We walked away and Forgetful Mommy of the year was feeling like the Worst Mommy of the year......the excitement on my child's face for the past 20 minutes....... was no longer seen.....I told her how sorry I was and tried to explain that my brain just wasn't work well without a lot of sleep etc...but that since I did grab the 20 dollar bill daddy left on the counter before we left we could eat at Chick-filet if she was hungry???? She said ok and that smile and understanding spirit came right back.
How could it not when I mentioned Chick-filet?
Of course my little negotiator thought that was great but "how about if we play in the play area first, then eat?" How could I say no after telling her that Teddy Bear Megan she had just made to celebrate being a big sister, "had to spend the night with the nice lady since I forgot my credit card."
We went and played in the germ-infested play area that I truly detest! After a while we headed to get our food. We had to use the elevator and Amanda was walking in front of me with me right behind her with the stroller. Miss Rudeness pushed the button and got on the elevator and immediately pushed the button, Amanda ran and got on with me right behind her but the doors shut before I could get on. I screamed so loud and Miss Rudeness pushed the door to open. (duh, thanks for being soooo considerate AFTER the fact) That scared me that I almost had my 3 year old on an elevator without me! *we have a new rule now, hold my hand when getting on an elevator since people are rude!
Miss Rudeness didn't say sorry, nope not a word on that elevator ride. I told Amanda that some people are just so rude and don't use good manners, right in front of Miss Rudeness and she just looked back at us in silence. I know I shouldn't have said that in front of her but at the same time I think she needs to know she's rude and there are other people to consider other than herself in this world she's living in. (we are going to blame hormones for this attitude)
On the way to eat we saw Pottery Barn and I remembered I had a gift card from the realtor when we moved yes, over two years ago.......we could use it now. So we browsed for something in the store to make up for my being Forgetful mommy of the year and redeem myself from ruining the special day for Amanda:) We found a book that I had been telling Amanda about for days.....Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. There is a movie out with the same title that we were thinking of going to see if we can figure out why it is rated PG. My husband doesn't want her to see PG movies at this age and I think it is a wise decision and couldn't agree more with him since I took her to one and it ended up being a huge mistake! I couldn't remember how much money was on the gift card and without the cc I didn't dare go over.....so we just bought the book and headed to eat.
On the way there........Amanda said, "I am thirsty." I told her we could get some water! "No, I am thirsty for something blue..." I quickly realized she had seen the sign for the blue slurpee type drinks at Mrs. Fields. I told her we only had 20 dollars and if we had enough money left we could buy one. We decided to get our food to go so we could take daddy a sandwich since we needed to get home and it would be dinner time when we made it home. He was planning on calling us from work and picking something up since it was Friday night but we thought we would save him the trip and we know he likes Chick-filet almost as much as we do. We got the food and had money left. Yay!
So we went and bought that blue drink for thirsty Amanda and at this point I figured we all needed a treat so I asked for three chocolate chip cookies, (I couldn't find the prices anywhere but just knew it couldn't be more than the 6 dollars and 14 cents I had) The gal gave us the drink and put the cookies in a bag and then rang us up.
When the gal said, "$6.82 I thought I would about die! I fumbled in my purse only to know I had nothing in there and said, "Could you please take one cookie off." She looked at me like I was nuts! So of course I felt like I just had to explain that I just had a baby and am lacking sleep right now, and that has left me forgetful and I forgot my credit card, and then I shared the Build a Bear story with them. They told me they could totally understand and would give me the third cookie for free!
Oh thank you, there are still nice people out there in the world today, either that or they just wanted me to stop rambling because there was a line forming behind me. I left feeling a little blessed by their kindness and thrilled that I wouldn't be the one without a cookie since I had already decided I would let Amanda and Daddy eat the cookies. (I know, I know, I am soooo sweet, no actually I am not suppose to be eating cookies anyhow because I am trying to get rid of the baby weight plus before getting pregnant weight and I know Mrs. Field's can't help me with that even if it is free.
We stopped for a minute in the department store so I could get my keys out and Amelia started crying...this upsets Amanda so in the loudest possible voice she looks around and announces, "WE NEED HELP, WE NEED DADDY, WE CAN'T DO THIS ALONE!" She continues to tell me this all the way to the car. I assured her we could do it because we would stick together and can do anything as a team! Girl Power!
As I was putting the girls in the car and taking the car seat out/folding up the stroller, Amelia was crying and Amanda was stressed so I made up a song with a cute little tune to distract them. "Don't be sad....when you can be happy, happy, happy, don't be sad when you can be happy..." I sang it while putting them in the car which takes a few minutes when all of the sudden I hear a loud beep that scared me so bad I jumped and said, "what is that?" I quickly realized it was the car next to me with a very angry man staring at me singing because I was next to his driver's side and blocking it with my stroller so he couldn't get in (a simple excuse me would have been welcomed, I would have stopped singing!) I don't think from the look on his face that he appreciated my "happy song" or my singing! Let's just say if looks could kill...........I would be dead.
We got in the car and went to call daddy to tell him we had a surprise and were bringing dinner home so he didn't have to but as soon as I turned the cell phone on it said, "POWERING DOWN" ooooopps..... daddy wasn't going to get a call........
Amelia screamed for the next 15 minutes which upset Amanda so she started crying and wanted her daddy to help us since we can't do this alone!
I am driving down the wrong road at this point and the GPS lady sent me another way because once you go the wrong way with Miss GPS Voice she re-calculates the route. That poor Miss GPS had to recalculate several times because I had two crying children and had a hard time hearing the directions. I wanted to join in with the crying fest at this point but instead I just prayed for the kids to stop crying.......Amelia fell asleep so Amanda stopped crying.
Miss GPS voice took us the long way home so Amelia woke up towards the end of the trip only to scream the loudest I have ever heard the child scream. We made up some songs to sing to her and at times they appeared to work but it turns out it was only long enough for her to catch her sweet breath. It broke my heart but I kept telling myself, "you are not a bad mother, you are not a bad mother, you just made a mistake by going out on a Friday afternoon with a preschooler and a newborn."
A little before 8 pm we finally arrived home. Daddy had been worried since the last we talked to him we were staying home for the day......he had called mamaw and papaw to see if we were with them and that caused them to worry and have flashbacks of when I did this to them in high school, only I had called them before my cellphone died to tell them I was lost, and didn't arrive until three hours later..........yes, they were waiting on the front steps for me that night and haven't forgotten.
I told Daddy I don't call his parents when he doesn't call me and he replied, "but I have never gone missing!" ha Daddy wondered why I didn't use a pay phone? I didn't think of it and didn't have enough money anyhow.
Oh what a night! What a way to remember Amelia's first trip to the mall shopping, and Amanda's first Build a Bear experience. Plus, an experience like this one is great way to keep me from the malls! (Thank God for online shopping!)
Update*-daddy bought mommy a cell phone car charger first thing Saturday morning. Mamaw and Papaw stopped worrying, and Miss Forget Mommy is going to make more of an effort to charge her cell phone and isn't going to go out in the late afternoon on a Friday to any mall.
Thank God he heard my prayers because Amanda is so right, we can't do this alone! We do need daddy, but most importantly we need God!
