The things we do for our kids, The trouble we go through just for that temporary smile or squeal of delight that our far from equal efforts reward us with. I spotted a small construction site a few blocks from our home today while picking Moo up from Preschool and knew that Buddy would poop his diaper with joy. He has gotten to that stage where you slap wheels on anything and he's cool. The boy sleeps with his cars and trucks (in addition to a small paint roller and stone garden duck named Richard). So this was going to be quite a treat. Easy and free entertainment. I was already patting myself on the back and giving myself the mommy award before I even walked in the door.
Well. Too soon, girl. Too soon. The construction site was about five blocks away and on a busier road I plopped Olive in the double stroller with a bink and a maraca. Buddy decided to push his bear in a baby doll stroller (but we're cool. I had the double stroller as back up when it started to take five years to get to our destination because He needed to pick up every stick and candy wrapper we passed) and Moo hopped on her trike and sped a block ahead to assert her independence. So far, so good. But then, we needed to cross the street. Let me tell you, that was an education for all passing by as I yelped at Moo to "Keep pedaling! You can't itch your leg in the middle of the Road!" and "Come on Bud! Keep walking! Watch where you're going! You are going to...run into Moo on her trike who is wailing because her legs are tired (We've only gotten a block and a half for pete's sake..) As I struggled to push the stroller against the back of trike, to hook the stupid baby doll stroller on the back of the actual stroller and throw Bud in the back, all while maneuvering across the road and loudly instructing my tots about street smarts and safety, my confidence dwindled into nothingness. What the hell was I doing? I should have put Olive in the carrier. I should have strapped Buddy and Moo in the darn double stroller knowing they can't be trusted on the open road. I should have just thrown them in their car seats and drove the van. I should have...
And then we made it. Alive. The look on Buddy's face. Man. I wish I could bottle that face up and keep it in my pocket for all my days. Even Moo elicited a couple shrieks of excitement, the girl who has little interest in anything that doesn't start with princess these days, and Olive stared quietly, sucking her bink and clutching her maraca. There we stood on the street corner, watching the men work, the bulldozer doing its thing. They had no clue the adventure we had just had just to come see them do their daily job and I'd do it again for my little turkeys ... Maybe with a little more wits about me and a minivan:-)
