Today while eating lunch with Zachariah, I realized (not for the first time) that he is on his own time. My son loves to eat, and usually he takes his sweet time doing it. For instance he usually is in his high chair for 45 minutes to an hour eating breakfast in the morning. That's why when he started liking cereal and milk, I was happy he could feed himself. While he's eating, I can eat my own breakfast, clean the kitchen, do dishes, vacuum the floors, exercise, or catch up on e-mail and blog posts. I'm not complaining. It's good having a few quiet moments to do things while he's content. For lunch and dinner, however, I like to eat with him so it can get annoying when he wants to take him time.
When he was eating his lunch today, he was watching everyone around us. And being the outgoing baby he is, he was trying to wave, point, "talk" to everyone around us. Then he'd turn back to me and flash me his aren't-I-just-the-most-adorable-baby-on-earth smile. So, what I thought was going to be a quick lunch today was not. Normally, by myself, I could have been in and out in 20 minutes. With Zachariah it took us almost an hour.
It's funny how much longer things take with a baby/toddler. A quick errand is no longer quick. By the time you get everything around to take that the kid could possibly need, then you have to talk him into coming outside with you, then you have to get him away from the plants and sticks that he wants to touch on the way to the car every time. And even after that you have to wrangle him into his car seat, and off we go. Getting him out of his car seat takes time once you get there. Even if you only needed a few things, you still need to put the child into a cart, because otherwise you will not get through the store. Then half-way through the store, the kid is tired of sitting in the cart, so you get him out and carry him. He squirms so much that you have to put him back in even though he is crying and screaming. So, if you finally manage to gather all the items you need in the store, you have to get them back to the car. Once back to the car, you fight the kid into his seat again. Then when you get home, you get him back out, try to keep him out of the plants again and into the house. Then, it never fails that you forget something off your list, which means you must make another errand sometime later in the week.
I actually think it was easier when he was an infant. I could leave him in his carrier/car seat and take him in and out quickly. He was normally content to site there and check everything out. When I got home, I just carried him back in and went about my day. And he slept in his seat easily, so that made my trips not so bad.
I'm sure with each kid the problems in this situation multiply by the number of kids. I can't say that's something I look forward to when thinking of having more children. I think I'll let my husband run more errands for me, or I will wait to go out after the kids are in bed.
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3 comments:
Ha, I just had such a day myself. Lunch, to Toys R Us to buy a potty chair (more on THAT later) and then grocery. That was the plan, anyways. By the time we got through lunch and Toys R Us, it was all I could do to drag myself into the driver's seat and head for home!
It is easier when they are infants. I dread the day O is no longer in an infant seat! and I really dread when I have 2 that walk or run away.
It's hard to remember that they're never on our timetable, isn't it? Babies and toddlers are so good at living in the moment. Zachariah isn't thinking about all the millions of things that have to be done around the house or errands that have to be run... he's just enjoying his meal. I wish I could be more like that.
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