Down to Business

Christmas shopping with baby in tow is a whole other experience.

So the hubby and I made a solid effort to start early this year. Yup we started on Black Friday to be exact. The turkey hadn't even settled yet, and mommy was already in line in the freezing cold, outside of Toys R Us at 3:30am! I came home with doorbuster deals galore and a scratched eye as my battle scar. Those moms mean business! Next year I'll remember to wear my helmet and goggles.

And now, 2 weeks before Christmas, we're already almost all done!

Now we could've been a lot faster if it weren't for the...ELEVATOR WARS. (All you moms out there lugging strollers around know precisely what I mean.)

Up and Down, up and down. Waiting to go up and down. Let's get down to business.

So I've never been an elevator person. I'd much rather find the nearest escalator and go. And if I had the extra slice of pumpkin pie, well I'll take the stairs. But now that we've got baby with us, and the bugaboo, well, we're all about the elevators.

So there's an unspoken elevator etiquette around that the hubby and I picked up fast. As with any line, there's an order. The first to arrive and wait, should be the first to enter. And to avoid any elevator door accidents, everyone helps out in holding the doors open for those with the strollers and not enough hands to go around. Well let me tell you that all etiquette, rules and common courtesy go out the door during the busy holiday shopping season!

Mommies have tried to sideswipe me and push their big ol' strollers in before mine even when they know I've been waiting there longer. Mommies have hit me from behind to get in and get out sooner, even when they know there is no room to get by. Makes road rage seem like a pleasant, patient experience.

And don't get me started on those WITHOUT strollers! I just don't understand those people? It clearly takes so much longer to wait for an elevator, why do they wait? There are escalators people! You just hop on and it does all the work for you! Brings you up and down much faster than an elevator! No wait, no effort and no confined germs!

It kills me when we are waiting for the elevator and its already crowded, and there are people waiting there WITHOUT strollers or any accessibility needs that would make it necessary to take an elevator, when there are escalators right next to it! It boggles my mind. I just don't understand. HOP ON THE ESCALATORS PEOPLE! And leave the elevator space for the people who really need it. Sheez!

Note to all holiday shoppers out there - if you wait for an elevator and you:
a) Don't have a stroller
b) Aren't in a wheelchair
c) Aren't over the age of 65

YOU"RE GOING DOWN!

What the Shrek?

Baby is crawling like a madman these days. He's everywhere and so I have to be right there behind him every step of the way. I think this is the best workout I've ever had!

Our house has transformed. Tables have cleared out, area rugs have moved in, and playmats are in place. And of course, baby only likes to crawl where he's not supposed to. If we tell him "No," that's where he goes.

Nowadays, the only thing that can make him sit still is..."Shrek the Halls!" It was a half hour prime time holiday special that aired just last week and I decided to TiVo it on a whim, for my own viewing pleasure. And so I decided to play it back one night, and low and behold, the little rascal stayed put!

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING makes him sit still. Nothing but a big green ogre, that is. Baby has even dismissed his old pals, baby einstein and friends. He'll pause and rest for a bit and watch them, but for the most part, he's way too into his newfound ability to go mobile, so he crawls his merry way.

When "Shrek the Halls!" plays, he stops what he's doing, and crawls right back over to mommy and sits between my legs. For some reason, that's his couch potato position of choice. Thing is, this darn TV special was only half an hour! And so minus the commercial airtime, I'm only looking at 15 minutes or so of peace and quiet.

Once the end credits start rolling in, baby is ready to move on again. And so I need to be right there beside him. He's also into propping himself up on anything he can, and stand! Yes folks, like the Jeffersons, baby is movin on up!

Baby is fast. I don't even have time to blink, he could be on the other side of a room by then! Yes everything is just moving way too fast. He's 9 months old already! He's such a big boy now! I don't know where my little baby went!

Truthfully tiring and frustrating at times, but genuinely rewarding and heartwarming every minute! I don't know what the Shrek is going on.