Preparing for Battle

So this weekend is the first long-distance trip with child, brave souls that we are... Just making the list of things to pack was intimidating! The stroller takes up most of the trunk. I have a feeling that the 'family' car we have will prove to be jam-packed on our road trips, even with just one child. My husband says "We'll make it work." Oh, the spatial imaging he is capable of. We will see, we will see. I will come out and say it... I'm still skeptical. I am daydreaming of a station wagon. Seth says "Forget about the station wagon, we need a minivan!"

In case you are having trouble picturing us with a minivan, I took the liberty of sharing some recent photos...

Even the best of plans can backfire!

Even the best of plans can backfire. After reading some comments from my previous posting regarding slings/wraps/infant carriers, I thought it necessary to share with you, the interested blog follower, my most recent experience at the grocery store.

This plan begins with a fact that I thought mattered very little at the time we picked out our car seat. I was interested in only a few key details concerning the car seat: Is it safe? Can I get the child in and out easily? Do the click-y things work consistently or do they stick? Is there a corresponding stroller that the car seat can click into? Amongst aisles of car seats at Babies'R'Us, after much research, we proceeded to pick out the perfect car seat. The one that "is the premier infant carrier for safety, comfort, and convenience" and "give[s] you confidence that your child is safely secured in your vehicle." (It was of little importance to me at the time the tiny print that stated: "Never place carrier in top of shopping cart. Carrier will not be secure and could fall causing injury to child.")

I did heed that advice in the manual, and brainstormed multiple ways I could avoid potential injury to my child in the unlikely event that I should need to go grocery shopping and actually use a shopping cart. The most feasible option was to carry the car seat in, place in the base of the shopping cart and proceed with my shopping. Another option was to carry the baby in the wrap-style carrier we have, freeing my hands and the cart. After a few grocery trips with a large car seat occupying the ENTIRE base of the shopping cart (with nowhere to place the items I desired to purchase), I decided to try the latter option.

The stage is now set for my 'best of plans' gone wrong story.

Mission: Go grocery shopping with baby and return with shopping cart full of groceries.

I tied on the wrap-style carrier before leaving the house to avoid parking lot stares as I struggled to put it on. All I would need to do is transfer the baby from the car seat to the carrier in the parking lot (way to think ahead!). The baby was asleep when we left and stayed asleep even through the transfer. I thought I was doing quite well! We shopped without incident for a decent amount of time. Eventually he woke up and looked around as we walked.

Then, in the coffee aisle, I hear a noise I know all too well by now. Not here! Not now! We were almost done!!!

As usual, after the foreboding sound, my baby is immensely happy and shoots me a beautiful grin. But my shirt is wet, and my waistband. And yes, it is poop. And I'm in the coffee aisle with a shopping cart full of groceries. And I was about to get some delicious coffee. And I'm hoping the wrap and floor are not wet too--they are not wet. I relish that I am alone in the coffee aisle and quickly slip the burp cloth from under baby's chin down to the diaper area. After adding the extra protection against further damage to my wardrobe and reputation, I make use of the wet wipes and hand sanitizer in my diaper bag, contemplating whether to exit now or go through the checkout line. I decided to go through the checkout line (I can't go home defeated), but without the coffee (so sad).

I never refuse help out to the car anymore, and the gal that helped was so nice. She didn't even notice that I was waiting for her to leave before taking my sweet son out of the carrier! But my sweet baby boy had one more present for me---as I began to transfer him from the carrier to the car seat he spit up all over my shirt (right where the burp rag had previously been, I might add). We went straight home.

Ah, adventures in the life of a new parent. I laughed all the way home! After all, it's nothing several wet wipes or a bath and a change of clothes for me and baby can't fix. (It helped that I hit the beer aisle before the coffee aisle... something well-deserved to look forward to after the clean-up!) Plus, it makes a great story to tell when my sweet baby boy is older. Below, a picture of my sweet baby boy.

Time for things...

They all tell you to get as much sleep as you can before your baby's born... I tried to. Maybe after six weeks I've gotten used to a minimum amount of sleep. But what I wasn't prepared for was not having time to do little everyday things. Josiah is not really much of a napper yet during the day--his longest is about an hour, a little longer with assistance of movement in the car seat, car or stroller. If we're moving in the car or stroller, then I'm out of the house, which is good, but productivity at home is lacking. Most of Josiah's naps at home are in the 10-30 minute time range. This leaves me enough time usually to take a shower and get ready for the day, and sometimes to make meals. But I have phone calls to make that I can't make with a crying baby in the background. I have a list that is growing daily (and at this rate, will likely keep growing for many years to come). At some point, many of the items on the list drop off out of sheer irrelevance. At least now I have an excuse for my procrastination! What have I been doing with my time? Holding my baby, nursing my baby, burping my baby...

Babies know the difference between standing up and sitting down... mine prefers standing. Babies know when you are not paying attention to them... mine prefers attention and certainly lets me know it! Babies know when you leave the room... mine doesn't like to be lonely. We're getting lots of quality time together, for sure!

Another thing I didn't know: Leaving the house for any reason is a huge process! Sometimes the sheer effort required to leave the house completely demotivates. My process usually goes something like this: Feed the baby. Burp the baby. Make mommy presentable. Check the diaper bag, re-pack the diaper bag. Keys, phone, wallet. Strap the baby in the car seat. Watch the baby make a big mess in his diaper and smile about it. Unstrap the baby from the car seat. Change the diaper. Change the clothes. Strap the baby in the car seat. Oh wait, mommy is hungry. Grab a snack. Baby cries loudly, and look at the clock---no! Can it really be time for the baby to eat again? Unstrap baby from the car seat...