This goes out to all the mothers - those who were, who are, and who will be soon!
Today was a pretty good day. Nathan got to be home in the morning, and I got a few errands done. Then we all had lunch together and it was nap time - sweet! After nap time I was alone again with the kids; so we went out, to Food Lion, to get groceries.
Lydia asked right away if she could ride in a "car" (a car-shaped cart). I didn't think Food Lion had them, so I said no. Come to find out, they do have them - and a little boy was using the only one available. So, I promised Lydia (and Luke) a balloon if they were good. (Food Lion gives out free balloons, not free cookies......which Lydia also asked for!)
After we checked-out, I asked the slightly harried, and young, cashier if we could have two balloons. She had to do it herself, and there were 2 other people waiting in line behind us. She blew-up two balloons...and one started to deflate. Then she blew-up another one...and it slipped out of her hand and flew to the ceiling.
I told her to just forget it - that they could share. Lydia was upset, but ok. I then had to go the service desk because they had scanned my grapes as a watermelon, and I paid $3 more than I should have. As we waited, Lydia let go of her balloon. Classic. A nice old many who worked there said he'd get us 2 more balloons....as we waited for a manager to refund us.
Finally, we were all on our way out to the car - with two balloons. Lydia had a tiny fit getting into her car seat, because the balloons were tied to her wrist, but we all got in ok. Then Luke let go of his balloon during the trip home, and Lydia started freaking out that it was going to fly out of the door when we stopped. I assured her that I would take care of both balloons and that I would collect them before we got out. As we pulled into the drive way, I put the car in park and pressed the car door buttons. And yyeeesssss.....Luke's balloon quickly slipped up up up, into the stratosphere. Lydia broke into hysterics.
I'm not sure if she was afraid for the balloon to be alone, or if she was sad for Luke, or if she had just reached her breaking point. Her face was red, swollen and full of tears - and, as I tried to comfort her, I looked down to see that her balloon was quickly deflating and about half its original size. GREAT. Luckily, she was so upset about the lost balloon, that she didn't notice her own problem until later. At that "later" point, she informed me that she could still play with her deflated balloon and use it as a ball, AND that Luke's balloon might have gone to Jane's house and maybe we could get it returned to us in a box in the mail.
CRAZINESS!!!
As I said in the beginning - this story goes out to all mothers who have had one of those grocery trips, or one of those days. All I could think of the whole time was how much I can now sympathize with my mother and about all the anguish I caused her. Sorry Mom!!!
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