Just Go

So, today is the day before my husband and I get to get the heck out of town and go down to Nashville with friends of ours to go see the one & only Dave Mathews Band. Needless to say, there is a LOT to be done - we have to get our son ready to spend the weekend at Grandma's (and he does not travel light), the dogs ready to be gone all weekend, and of course, everything planned for us to be gone all weekend.

So..hmm... with all this to be done, what does my husband do this afternoon?? Oh, he takes the afternoon off work....to golf. Um, right.

So, starting at 9:15 this morning, JD and I left the house and had been going non-stop. I called my husband at about 3:00 to see what his plans were i.e. when he would be home.

Him: "Um, babe, we just started golfing not that long ago, I probably won't be home for another few hours."

Me: "Well, I was hoping to get to go to the mall before the day is over and it's about J.D.'s naptime."

Him: "Just go to the mall if you want to go."

Hmmm.... let's think about those first 2 words - Just Go. Does a mommy ever get to just go??? I don't think so. Allow me to explain.

I decided to take my husband's advice. I stopped off briefly at the house to unload some groceries & squeeze in a quick bottle for J.D. and started on my way to the mall, hoping that J.D. would just catch a quick snooze in the car and would be able to endure about an hour of me shopping. But, today, mommy did not get so lucky. J.D. was jibber-jabbering the whole ride and did not catch one wink of sleep.

But, I was at the mall (this is a once every few month occasion), and darnit, I was going shopping! I packed him into his stroller and thought I would just do a quick lap around the mall.

Problem #1 - I did not strategically park so that I was close to the elevator, thus I lost a good 15 minutes of shop time just tracking down the elevator and using it to get to the lower level of shopping. Frustrating.

Problem #2 - Finally make it into store #1 and J.D. is doing great. I really could not believe my luck at this point. I stacked up some items to go & try on, had a little teeny-bopper let me into the fitting room which was big enough for J.D. and me both, and I started to try on clothes. Well, let me rephrase that. I stripped down to my skimpies and started to try on a pair of too-small jeans when J.D. started to SCREAM bloody murder and it took me a good 10 minutes to calm him down - at this point, he crashes out in his stroller so I could actually finish trying on in peace (Thank you, God.), however, I'm sure the other teeny-bops lingering around were really enjoying listening to J.D. cry at the top of his lungs.

Problem #3 - Just when I go to leave the fitting room ol' girl teeny-bopper says, "Oh wow! SO CUTE!!!" towards the sleeping baby J.D. which wakes him up, startles him, upon which he starts to SCREAM bloody murder again. Just great. This continues until I'm able to check-out (which there was a line) and we leave the store.

Problem #4 - I did not get to do a full shopping trip because of all the above shenanigans so I was forced to buy a few items un-tried-on which really should be rule #1 on the Don't Do List for new mommies shopping.


So....hmmm.... did I get to just go??? I don't think so. I think my husband got to "just go" golfing all afternoon. I don't think mommies ever get that privilege.



P.S. This does not include my other day's adventures which include entertaining a 6 month old baby while waiting for an hour & 40 minute oil change and trying to calm a baby who insists on high-pitch squealing throughout the grocery store. Just Go?????!???? Um, yeah right.