The Wheels on the Honda Go 'Round and 'Round

So Noah and I have gotten used to running errands together. Or, rather, I have gotten used to the idea that he does not have to nap or eat in the same place at exactly the right time or the world will fall apart. So we have been venturing out into the wide world again.

Well, technically, we have been doing this for a few weeks now. But this week we've had a couple of days that were full of driving around, and Noah did great.

On Thursday, we went to our mom & baby group in the morning, then we headed out to the mall. Now, I will be honest. The real reason I drove 25 minutes out to this particular mall is because it's the only one with a Chick-fil-A, and I had a coupon for a free meal that was about to expire. Come on, now, people, you know my love for Chick-fil-A; I am not going to miss out on that.

So what I now know is that Chick-fil-A is apparently the weekday go-to place for moms. When I walked into the food court, there was hardly anyone there. I mean, it was a weekday at lunchtime, so that's understandable. There were not more than a couple of people at any restaurant counter (can you call them "restaurants" when they're in a mall?). But there was a line eight people deep at Chick-fil-A, and it was mostly groups of moms and kids. So here I go, initiating myself into this new world.

I initiated myself further when, just as I sat down with my bowl of chicken soup and cup of Dr. Pepper, Noah decided that it was time for him to eat. I could tell there would be no putting him off. But what do you do when you have chicken soup? If it were a sandwich or nuggets, I could pack it up and go nurse him somewhere and eat discreetly. But not with soup. I couldn't even carry the bag around with me without being afraid it'd spill. So I pulled out my trendy Hooter Hider and fed him while I fed myself. It felt so weird, sitting there nursing him in the middle of the mall. That was my first time doing that by myself in public. At least when you're with other people (other moms, in particular), there is strength in numbers and you don't feel so, well, conspicuous. I felt like everyone was watching me, which of course was not true. Oh, and let me tell you, it's probably not the wisest thing to eat soup over your child's body. I laid a napkin on top of the Hooter Hider on top of Noah, but I still dripped all over it. Good thing the soup wasn't hot.

Then I went shopping and bought my first pair of postpartum jeans. I like them, but ugh, they are two sizes larger than my last pair of jeans. Anyhow, moving on. I also bought a chocolate bar at the Lindt store because they had a chili flavored one, and Nathan and I have been curious to try chili flavored chocolate. We ate it later that night. (Hmm, maybe this has something to do with those jeans....) It was alright. It didn't really taste like chilis; it just kind of left a hint of spiciness in the back of your mouth after you ate it.

And another thing--all the ladies working at the mall this day were apparently mothers who had just shipped their last child off to college, because they were all interested in Noah, asked how old he was, commented on his size, and told me that they had just shipped their last child off to college. Either this was some strange coincidence, or this is a new sales technique.

After our trip to the mall, we went home, Noah ate again, then we went and picked up Nathan and headed to Bible study. So Noah and I were out almost constantly from 10am to 8:30pm or so. Even though it doesn't seem like a huge thing, I feel like it really is a big milestone, because it's like we've proven that we are not tied to the house and are flexible enough to alter our routine every now and then in order to accommodate life. Next hurdle: church!

Friday was a busy day, too. We went with our friends, Kendra and Hannah, to Bed Bath & Beyond (where I bought an ice cream maker--yay!), Babies R Us, and Michael's. Then today we met the Cochrans and Robinsons for lunch and made a trip to Target. Now, I had forgotten what a crazy place Target is on a weekend afternoon, but luckily I had already decided to put Noah in the sling.

Ah, yes, the sling. The sling is a wonderful thing because it allows me to keep my hands free. The baby stays all curled up on your chest, which is nice because it typically soothes them and they go to sleep (or Noah does, anyway), and it also keeps them within your own personal space, which means that strangers are less likely to try to get in his face or touch him when admiring him. Plus, it keeps me from either 1.) trying to figure out how to push a stroller and handle a cart or 2.) carrying the heavy car seat inside and putting that in the cart. With the sling, I can just wear the baby and push the cart like a regular person.

Anyway, in addition to being more comfortable with getting out, the other point all this is leading to is that I am very thankful that we have a car. As you probably remember, we didn't have a car for our first three years here in Boston. We got around just fine via public transportation, but it is definitely so SO SO much more convenient to go places in your own car. Especially if you have a baby with you. On some days, I wouldn't get on the bus to go to work until 11am, and at that time of day there are a lot of moms and children on the bus. Now, this is pretty annoying for the other passengers, because the strollers take up half of the aisle (or more), so if there are three or four strollers on the bus, there IS no aisle any more. Also, the strollers block a lot of seats, so sometimes you end up standing when there are a bunch of empty seats on the bus, which is kind of annoying, especially when you are pregnant and trying to keep your morning sickness at bay. But despite my annoyance, I always felt kind of bad for those moms, because it's enough trouble to get yourself around on the bus, but to get yourself plus your child(ren) around on the bus is a whole other story. So I am very, very thankful that I have my little Honda to get around in.

Besides, there is no bus that goes to Chick-fil-A. That right there is cause for celebration that we own a car. :)