Girl's Day Out
Peanut and I had a girl's day out and it was lovely.
She is almost four and such a terrific little girl. I know she wishes she had more time alone with mommy but she always has to share me with her baby brother. Usually she is very mature about it, but I know sometimes it frustrates her immensely and that breaks my heart.
So, The Naturalist has a three day weekend, a rarity, and I decided it was the perfect time to take her out. I asked if she wanted to go to see a movie, one of our special things we do together, or to the children's museum, which she also loves because they have mini zoo and nature trail. She choose the movies.
We drove down to Macon and had an hour before our movie so we ate lunch at this fun Tex-Mex cantina near the theater. She loves "chips and cheese" and I knew they'd have fun frozen drinks so I could spoil her with one :) As we parked she got whiny and tearful and when I asked what was wrong she said she missed her brother. We called him on the cell. After she talked to him and he said "Gurgle burgle snurp Bye!" she felt much better. The funny thing is, I could sympathize. When I leave him I feel like an appendage is missing since we are all rarely apart. I can't imagine what he will go through when she starts kindergarten!
At the restaurant we sat on the same side of the booth snuggled up to one another and sipped our frozen drinks through straws - Peanut's was strawberry and mine raspberry - both with colored sugar around the rims, whipped cream and a cherry on top. We talked about school and being a big sister and in one of those amazing synchronous moments, at the second she was talking about her baby brother, she glanced at the wall and noticed there were things written on the bricks. People have been writing their names all over the wall for years.
"These are words," she stated confidently. "What does this say?"
And the brick she was pointing at had, of all things, her brother's name on it. Fascinating! She's learning letters at school. Could she have recognized it or was it just a neat coincidence? Well, I think there are no coincidences, so it was just a great moment.
There was a baby girl in a highchair at the booth behind ours who was playing peek-a-boo with us. She was adorable - big blue eyes and little pig tails with red, ruffled bows on them. I guessed her to be close to Baby-Man's age because of her interaction and how many teeth she had, lol. Peanut asked me on our way out to tell her mom that she thought the baby was "the cutest baby-girl she'd ever seen" so I did. I also laughed and said that we were here on our girl's day to take a break from our baby, but what were we doing? Playing peek-a-boo because it's such fun :)
We went to see "The Chipmunks" movie after lunch. Back when it came out, I told my husband I would rather gouge out my eyes with a fork than suffer through it. I have obviously avoided it for months. After the agony that was "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties" I didn't know if I could stomach another bad CGI movie about obnoxious, talking housepets. This weekend it was the only kiddie fare save the "Hannah Montana Movie" and you don't even want to know what I think of Billy Ray Cyrus' speech impediment princess. Chipunks here we come!
At the cinema we continued the junk food feast. I know, bad mommy, but, this happens so infrequently! We got popcorn and Coke and some Hershey's Kissables and headed to our theater. The trailers showed some adorable kid's movies coming up that I look forward to seeing, like the Panda karate movie with Jack Black as one of the main voices, and Wall-E, the newest Pixar offering. The Water Horse, which has been out for a while, looks awesome but we still haven't seen it.
I am surprised to tell you I was wrong about The Chipmunks. It was actually pretty cute and had kid and adult-friendly messages. Like, family is more important than anything. Also, for an adult, it is good for you to grow up and show some responsibility. Children both need and want discipline. And, your parents are protecting you when they don't give you everything you ask for! I couldn't figure out why a cool Indie actor like Jason Lee was doing this movie, but halfway through I remembered that his son - Pilot Inspektor Lee, sheesh - is almost exactly the same age as Peanut and it made more sense.
Peanut loved the movie. She even got up and danced in the aisle during some of the musical numbers, like the Witch Doctor song and the big finale. That's the fun of she and I going out alone. Her dad is the serious one - he wouldn't want her doing that sort of thing, but I think "Why the hell not?" Let her be joyful! At the end, when the credits were rolling and everyone left the theater, she wanted to go down to the front to dance by the screen so we did - and I danced with her. What do I care what the strangers in Macon think of me? :)
Then we headed to the park to work off some of the sugar. It was a gorgeous winter afternoon, the kind that makes you forget the grey dismal days we normally see in February and start imagining spring is already on its way. There is a terrific greenway by the Ocmulgee river with trails and a playground so we headed there. Pea wanted to "touch the water" so we wandered down the boat ramp and she put her hand in. The determination? "It's cold, mommy!" Then we went to play on the swings and slides and the little climbing wall. There were a pile of kids out today so she was thrilled to have other children to socilize with.
It was so great to just focus on her and what she had to say and watch her sweet face. Having two babies stretches your attention and that has to hurt her feelings. Some days, when her brother is being particularly clingy or I am incredibly busy, I see her coloring all alone or flipping through books and pray she isn't feeling abandoned. As I watched her today, really watched her, laughing when she let her babydoll go down the slide and giggle as she flew higher and higher on the swings I thought "It would be so much easier if I only had one child."
But, which one? I could never pick between them so, looks like they both have to stay! Peanut and Baby-Man are unique miracles to me, and they are my miracles. I can't wait till he is big enough to enjoy a day out with mommy.
Peanut and I left the park at dusk and headed home. When I carried her in the house I thanked her for a wonderful day and promised her we'd do it again soon. As we opened the door I was immediately snagged by The Naturalist and Baby-Man. With a pang I put Peanut down and watched her slip inside alone. I love her so much. I hope days like this remind her she is still my precious baby even if she is no longer my only baby.