I Just Needed Some Lettuce

Three days ago, I had the most exciting grocery shopping trip of my life.  It all started in the car on the way to the store.

Evelyn has these old stretched out elastic bracelets that I had gotten at a thrift sale last summer.  She loves to play with them (she's such a girl), and had one in the car.  We were almost to the store when she pulled it too hard and broke it.  Just after she broke it, my phone rang so I was distracted talking and not watching her.  In the meantime, she was shoving those beads into her mouth like candy.  When we finally got to the store, she spit out about a dozen of them along with the string.

Since I just needed to pick up some lettuce for dinner that night, I decided not to grab a cart, but to just carry Evelyn.  I got the lettuce, and then heading towards the check-out I walked past the health food section and remembered that we needed some granola.  I set Evelyn down so I could pour the granola out of the dispenser.  By the time I had the bag full, I looked down and here she was eating raisins out of one of the bottom bins.  I quickly snatched her up reminding her that we don't eat those at the store, grabbed my lettuce and granola and again made my way toward the check-out.

It was just then that I remembered that my sister Katie had spotted the first robin of the year, so I owed her gummy worms.  I decided to just check the candy aisle to see if they had any that she could eat. (She can't have anything with maltodextrin, modified food starch, or that was processed in a factory that processes wheat).  Because I couldn't hold the lettuce, granola, Evelyn, and read the candy labels, I set Evelyn down hoping she would stay close by and look at the other candies.  Nope.  I should have set the food down instead and held on to her.  She took off down the aisle and was at the opposite end in seconds.  She entertained herself by pulling food off the shelves, and smiling at other shoppers.  I finally found some worms that would work and went to grab Evelyn.  The only problem with this is that she hasn't learned to 'come' yet when we tell her to.  Every time we come after her, she thinks it's the "I'm gonna get you" game and she takes off running.  This time was no different.  She had two little snacks in her hands and took off running.  7 months pregnant momma with her arms full of granola, lettuce, and gummy worms chased after her.

We finally made it to the checkout, but because my arms were still full, I left Evelyn on the floor standing next to me.  She eyed a big bin of balls not too far from the checkouts and decided they were much more interesting than the gummy worms I had let her hold.  She dropped the worms and headed for the balls.  I was anxiously trying to watch her with one eye, and wait for the conveyor to be open so I could set my things down.  The man in front of me graciously let me set my stuff down so I could go get Evelyn.  By the time I got to her, she had three balls out on the floor and when she saw me coming, started running away with a fourth.  I snatched her up, and determined that I should NOT set her down again.

A valuable lesson was learned this day: Always get a cart, even if you only need to get some lettuce.

And the count is up to 3 beads that I've found in her diaper from the broken bracelet.