A Day to Remember

Posted on 2007-Nov-26 at 07:05

You haven't lived until you've gone shopping at Toys R Us the Saturday after Thanksgiving with 2 babies in a side by side stroller.  You really haven't.  Why we decided this would be a good idea, I don't know, but I did live to tell about it, so tell about it I will.

First, it was so cold outside that I had to bundle them both up like snowpeople in order to take them out of the house.  By the time I was finished, they were like two little soft, stiff stick figures.  I bent them into their carseats which of course I could not fasten  because snowsuits are much bigger than jackets, so I spent the next 10 minutes adjusting the "easy adjust" straps on both seats.  Which are not easy by the way.  By now I am losing feeling in my hands because I had to take my gloves off to do this job and the car doors are open and the wind is whistling through. 

We took our smaller car because it was just Ken, me, Kevin and the girls.  I thought it would be cozy.   I managed to fit both carseats and Kevin's booster in the backseat, but when I went to buckle Kevin in, I realized that the space between his seat and the carseats was about wide enough to maybe fit a slip of paper into- certainly not big enough for me to be able to snap his seatbelt in without seriously injuring myself.  So I unhooked one of the carseats and pulled it to the side so I could strap Kevin in, put it back in place and quickly closed the door just in case somebody popped out.

The drive to the Toys R Us was fine- the babies were happy because Kevin was chain feeding them Cheerios, their all time favorite food in the entire world.   I of course forgot that Kevin doesn't realize how long it takes a baby to chew a Cheerio and before I thought of it, he had Melissa's cheeks stuffed full like a little chipmunk.  A true sign of a mom who is on the edge is when she lets a 4 year old feed the baby.  I reach back and in one deft movement do a mouth-sweep on Melissa and remove 37 Cheerios from her mouth.  She protests of course, because 37 Cheerios in her mouth at one time to Melissa is like the best thing that ever happened to her.  So we listen to her cry until Kevin can insert another one, this time with a stern warning from mom NOT to give her another until she chews and swallows.

So we get to Toys R Us (it's only 10 minutes away), unload the kids and our Jeep side by side umbrella stroller, and run inside.  Now it's time to take off the snowsuits because it's 93 degrees in the store.  This is not easy when you don't have anywhere to lay a baby down.  We somehow manage it through a complicated maneuver that involves Ken holding one baby suspended in air while I unzip and pull off her snowsuit with one hand while holding the other baby in my other hand.  It doesn't occur to me to put my baby down in the stroller while I attempt this.  I am very used to doing things with one hand, it comes natural to me. 

We finally get both babies out of the snowsuits (they are both sweating profusely, by the way) and into the stroller and off we go!!  Hooray!  We're shopping!  Like normal people!  We take 14 steps before we get to the Thomas the Tank Engine train set which the people who work at Toys R Us have thoughtfully set up for 4 year olds to play with.  They conveniently cram this exhibit in the middle of a toy aisle with approximately 3 inches of space on either side of it.  No way am I going to fit my trusty Jeep side by side umbrella stroller through there.  And no way am I going to get away with standing still- these girls want to move!  So Ken hangs around with Kevin and Thomas while I take the babies for a little stroll through the store.

Now having 2 babies in a side by side stroller makes you become A Novelty when you are in any store.  People stop in their tracks and stare at you.  Well, at the babies.  They don't really look at me at all which is usually a good thing.  They turn and whisper to their friend "Oh, look, twins- aren't they sweet?" and smile dreamily as they pass by.  Little kids are less shy- they run right up and yell "Mommy look!  Two babies!" and promptly stick their fingers into the girls' eyes or noses...it's really cute. 

Inevitably a sweet old lady stops me and asks if they are twins.  I say yes. She says rather accusingly, "Well, they don't look ANYTHING alike!"  I say, "Yes I know," and contemplate getting into a discussion about genetics in the middle of the toy store and quickly decide not to.   She asks if they are boys or girls.  She must not notice the pink outfits and the cute "I'm a girl" pony tails I painstakingly fixed before we left.  "They're girls," I say.  She will then ask how old they are, I will say they are almost a year old and she will say "But they're so small!" as though I don't feed them.  I contemplate getting into a discussion about prematurity and adjusted age in the middle of the toy store and quickly decide not to.  I just smile.  At this point Megan starts to twist around to look at me as if just remembering that I am actually here and able to possibly pick her up.  If you stop too long they do that.  She starts fussing and holding her arms out to me.  "I can see you have your hands full," says my new friend.  I smile ruefully and say "Yes, I do," and start to walk away.  She then says "Well they're very sweet," and I thank her.  As I am walking away she calls out  "Just wait until they're teenagers- they'll break your heart!"  Ah yes, another heartwarming discussion in the toy store.  Gotta love those sweet old ladies.

Our rhythm broken, the babies and I continue to circle Toys R Us with them fussing every time I stop which is often because there are people everywhere and displays in the middle of every row.  I am supposed to be looking for a Christmas present for my neice, so I try to shop but it is impossible since I can't make it down most of the aisles.  I spot a cute Hello Kitty stationary set halfway down one aisle but have to pass it up because the row is too crowded and if I stop we will have meltdown.  I take a lap.  Still too crowded.  I take another lap- yes!!  I leave the stroller 2 feet from me while I sidle down the aisle to grab my prize.  By the time I get back a sweet old lady is admiring the girls and eyeing me up like I am a child abuser for leaving them alone.  When I get to her she asks "Are they twins?"  and my fate is sealed.  By the time we are done chatting, both babies are screaming and I am ready to go home.  This new friend informs me that my hands are full and that when my girls are teenagers they will break my heart, and with this news ringing in my ears like Salvation Army bells, I set off to find Ken.

After we pay for our purchases, we decide to scrap the snowsuits and just wrap them around the babies.  Of course this means that the carseat straps are now too loose and I must use the "easy adjust" feature once again.  I get Kevin strapped in with a little less trouble because I never did fasten the one carseat that I moved back in before we left- oops!  We drive home to the lovely sound of babies wailing.  At this point even Cheerios don't work anymore.

When we get home, the girls are so happy to be free that they play beautifully together on the floor until bedtime.  I collapse exhausted on the couch and vow never to leave the house again until they are 4.  Or at least until next Friday  when we go to the grocery store.

Untitled Comment

Posted by morningsunshine on 2007-Nov-26 at 08:14 - Link

love those old ladies in the stores. I don't have twins, but oh yes, those old ladies. the ones at church are even more all-knowing - since they have some idea of your name, they take that as an invitation to tell you all the things you are doing wrong (according to child-rearing practices 60 years ago).

but hey - one day we will get to be the old ladies in the stores oogling babies and remembering our own. hehehehe - moms of the future, LOOK OUT!

You...

Posted by abundantblessings on 2007-Nov-26 at 08:37 - Link

have such a way with words!!!
Wish I had been there with you...I'd have waited with those sweet babes while you went up and down every aisle!! :)

Love ya!
Laurie

What a cute and/or funny story.......

Posted by patintenn on 2007-Nov-26 at 11:15 - Link

I know that you were not laughing at the time but now that you have written it done, you do have to laugh right?

I could not imagine me with twins. I have enough trouble with my youngest two daughters at Walmart. They are 5 years apart in age.

Thanks for sharing this, it really is a good story.
Pat

You Have Your Hands Full

Posted by Anonymous on 2007-Nov-26 at 11:43 - Link

I hate that comment. I get it a dozen times each time I drag the five-kids-under-six-years-old out. I've taken to replying, "No, I have my heart full." And giving a cheesy smile.

Daja
www.gombojav.blogspot.com

Tagged!

Posted by kennyHA on 2007-Nov-27 at 04:06 - Link

I tagged you!
-Kenny

hi friend

Posted by Cathy on 2007-Nov-27 at 05:08 - Link

Leah,
Always love when you update your blog.
Makes me smile. You do have a great way with words.
Love ya friend,
Cathy