Don’t make fun, but for the first time since Henry was born, I had to wrangle both kids on my own for the entire day (on Wednesday and Thursday). 

Charlie came down with a super mild case of hand, foot, mouth (which honestly, we would have never known except for the fact that she happened to go to the doc that day for a checkup), so she was home from camp. 

I’m not going to lie, I was super anxious. Mark’s sister is bringing us a double stroller, but at this point, I don’t have one that works for our current situation. We have a sit and stand, but it just creates issues at this point. Charlie wants to sit where Henry is sitting, throws a mini fit and jumps off the stand platform thing while we’re moving. Anyway, not something I want to deal with alone. 

So anyway, I decided to face my anxieties head-on and take the kiddies on a little outing on Wednesday. I packed everyone up and we were Target-bound. Henry was running low on diapers, so it was the perfect excuse. Not to mention the fact that I have ZERO ideas as to how to put Henry (my boy who loves sleeping in silence) to sleep, while the noisy toddler is chatting up a storm… Unless we’re driving. Henry is no match for a moving car. He can’t resist a nap.

Anyway, I was SO PLEASED by our outing. I parked near a cart return and put Henry’s car seat in the shopping cart and Charlie in the seat. We were off!

Henry cried a bit, but let’s be honest, It was a Wednesday morning at Target… I wasn’t the only mom pushing a screaming baby through the aisles. Anyway, he fell asleep and Charlie and I had a blast. She was totally mesmerized. 

We looked at clothes and shoes and ended with an applesauce pouch, which we save for only special occasions. 

When we got in the car, Charlie said, “Momma, it’s fun!”

Despite being sick, Charlotte was an absolute angel. She was so fun to chat with and perfect in the car and at Target. When we got home, the good times continued. 

She was just so incredibly sweet and helpful with Henry. It was nice… We legitimately had fun together. Not just me having fun watching her… But fun together. 

Day two was another adventure! We picked up Nana in the morning to take her to the airport for a well-deserved beach vacay! Charlotte was a bit quiet, but as soon as we started pulling away from the airport, little Charlie burst into tears. “I want my Nanny!!!”

It was so sad and sweet and a little funny. Thankfully, after 5-10 minutes she got distracted by the trucks and a phone call with my sister and we moved on.

(I should also note that Charlotte keeps talking about the beach. “Nana beach” “I want beach” “momma, beach?”… The funny part is that it sounds like she’s saying bitch. Or at least beotch. My childish brain chuckles every time she says it.)

Next stop was to see my parents. We played a bit and Charlotte let us all know, “I want lunch.” 

So, off to lunch we went, which was hilarious. We went to a restaurant that’s filled with ladies and thus, Charlotte discovered the magic of ladies’ lunch. She sat staring at these two women behind us, randomly saying hi despite the fact that they had not noticed her and were not listening. 

After lunch, we shopped around the shopping center and her ladies’ lunch experience just went through the roof. She skipped from one display to the next exclaiming, “Ooooo what dis???”

It was another perfect morning.

Now, I’m not going to lie… Afternoon was a bit more annoying. Charlotte woke up crabby and was being a bit of a pest. AND, to make matters worse, after I finally got Henry to sleep, she woke him up by chucking my cell phone on the tile floor. 

C: “Ohh, Henry wa waa”

Me: “Yes, Henry is crying because you threw my phone on the ground and woke him!”

Let’s just say, I was happy when Daddy got home that evening.

But, all in all, I think I’m somewhat more prepared for full-time mommy daycare while C is off of camp before school starts, which begins next week. I have lots of activities planned and hope to have smooth sailings.

Wish me luck!