One of the biggest adjustments to motherhood has, for me anyway, been figuring out how to get everyday things done while being accompanied by a very small, very young person. I'm talking about, in no particular order, cleaning, bathing, cooking, eating, using the bathroom, making a phone call, and running errands. That last one is by far the biggest challenge. During my child-free years, I never appreciated the ease with which I was able to jump in the car, run into a store, pick up what I needed, bring it home, and put it away. It was just one of those things you do without even thinking. Then you bring home a tiny bundle of joy, and everything changes.
When Stephanie was a baby, the first challenge was leaving the house in the first place. I had to make sure she had a full belly, an empty diaper, and a stocked diaper bag. Then I had to strap her in her carseat, lug her, the diaper bag, and my purse to the car, and drive to the store. I then had to take the carseat out of the car, finagle it into the shopping cart, shop as quick as I could before she became hungry or needed a diaper change, and pay for my items. Then I had to load her and all the stuff into the car, drive home, bring her in the house and get her settled, bring in the items from the store, and unpack it all. Again, I needed to rush to make sure that she didn't start screaming at me, in her not-so-subtle way of demanding to be fed or changed.
Now, it took me awhile, but I did get used to this new way of life, and after a few weeks I became an old pro. Then, she grew up a little and was no longer content to snooze while I shopped. This added in the delightful factor of having to plan errands for times when she was well rested, as well as requiring an aresenal of toys or other objects to entertain her with while we were shopping. Again, I made the adjustment. And then she outgrew the infant carrier.
At this point, Stephanie was walking, and the last thing she wanted to do was be strapped into a shopping cart. That made for some interesting meltdowns in the middle of the store. Being out of the infant carrier also meant that I had to strap her in and out of the carseat twice, not an easy feat to pull off with a squirming toddler. However, as she got even older, I noticed that as long as she had people to watch, and an item or two to hold in the cart, she was happier than she had been when locked in her carrier. So that got easier, as did the in and out, in and out of the carseat. (I think I just got used to doing it.) BUT, not everything was easier. Now, she protested being left alone in the house while I made back and forth trips to the car to bring in the groceries. I finally figured out that if I brought her in right away, plopped her in her high chair, and gave her some goldfish to munch on, she would happily allow me to both bring the stuff inside, AND put it all away. Bliss!
Once I figured everything out, errands became, while not easy, definitely more enjoyable than they had been at the beginning. In fact, I actually have fun taking Stephanie to the store, because she loves to say hi to everyone she sees, and she delights in the attention she receives when they say hi back to her. So, right now we're in errand-running heaven, and all is right with the world.
Of course, in less than five months, I get to figure out how to run errands with both a toddler and an infant in tow...but i'm choosing not to think about that right now!
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