Tuesday, April 6, 2010

These days at the grocery store.

I used to go to the grocery store and hop out of my car carrying my keys, with a card or cash in my pocket, carelessly swing the door shut behind me and skip along on my errand.

These days, I park, strap on my baby carrier, check my wallet, make sure I have my list, and my eco-friendly reusable shopping bags filled with reused plastic produce bags, make sure there is a sippy cup- somewhere. I decide to leave my purse in the car and just take the wallet because I am already packing more than I can carry and I have yet to get the second half of my load out of the car. I get out of the front and hop into the back seat. I put Cora's socks and shoes back on her because for some reason she takes them off every time we go for a drive and for some reason I continue to put them on her before we go somewhere. I get her out of the car, and make it across the parking lot to the shopping carts, only to realize that I forgot my list in my purse that I decided not to bring with me cause I thought that would be easier. I go back and get it.

Finally, I make it inside the grocery store.

I used to pop around the store with a little basket, gazing at prices doing the math, smelling produce, dreaming of the epic meals I was going to make my man for dinner.

These days I navigate the aisles with my big ol shopping cart, keeping my little one entertained so she doesn't jump out of her little seat. With bananas and silly faces, we try not to cause traffic jams in the produce section. I check my list and throw things (quickly!) in the cart before Cora is over it. I endure sympathetic glances when she is over it and has decided she would like out of the cart RIGHT NOW or she will scream. I wrestle a thrashing baby-toddler in her very first grocery store store fit, and praise god that I had the foresight to strap her baby carrier to me before this went down. I find a private section and get her settled in next to me- to my body, her first home, so our hearts and our breaths can come together in calm, I breathe and pop that piece of magic given to mommies that must have been designed specifically for grocery store fits because it works no matter what. Seriously, 100% of the time it works.

I navigate the rest of my trip with my baby-toddler strapped into Mommy bliss. I move fast because (her) time is running short. I pray for a quick line at the check out and a kind (and quick) check out person.

We get out, we make it out alive and well. I haul my reusable eco friendly grocery bags full of groceries and get them to the car. I think, gee, going to the grocery store used to be such a different experience.

But its all so worth it.

1 comment:

  1. I laughed so hard about the shoes and socks!!!!! She IS her mama's daughter:) Sorry and not sorry at all because that is a unique piece of my baby girl. Love you honey--you're doing great, peanut. Ma

    I love this piece and it's definitely a keeper.

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