Mom and B's Day of Fun

Recently, I took off work for Columbus Day because the daycare was closed. Not a problem, right? A day off work should be welcomed! To be honest, I wasn't super excited. Being a working mom keeps me sane and smitten with my adorable child. Not to mention, Columbus Day was a Monday and Dad had been out of town that weekend. So really, we had almost three full days together.

Over the weekend, we had been to Let's Play Birmingham (BIG HIT) and spent the evening playing with soon-to-be-because-we-said-so BFF, W. So that was for him, but that morning we had been to Target, the farmer's market, and picked up around the house. Not fun for a toddler.

The ball pit was a hit for W and B.

Aunt Mantha also enjoyed the toddler area!

Shot of the toddler maze at Let's Play. Aunt Mantha mastered it all!

By the time Monday rolled around, I was a little tired. When I decided to take the day off I committed (myself) to doing nothing but activities that B would enjoy; hence, "Mom and B's Day of Fun." 

We loaded up early and headed to the McWane Center. We were the third people in line, got our tickets, and set out to the exhibits. We quickly breezed through the main floor because there were mainly older kid activities. Then we got to the main event - Itty Bitty Magic City. The look on B's face was similar to mine when I find out my mother-in-law is cooking Italian food for Sunday dinner - HELL, YEAH.

There were trains, a firetruck, a water play area, house setup, mini grocery store and diner, vet's clinic, car workshop and jungle-gym thing I can't really explain. He spent about two hours exploring and LOVED the trains. I knew we were broaching the "too tired to leave peacefully" so I bribed him with the promise of a cookie. We left around 11:45 am and walked to Edgar's Bakery downtown. He noshed on goldfish and a peanut butter and honey sandwich in the stroller. Once at Edgars, he got a M&M cookie and I got a cappuccino and enjoyed them on the terrace overlooking 20th street to watch the trolleys, buses and busy people. B promptly fell asleep on the walk back to the car, slept the entire way home and for another hour once we got home. Just enough time for me to enjoy a lunch at home with Dad.

Huge train set.

Driving the spaceship!

And the firetruck. When the front seat opened up, he was all over it!

Putting his tray in the oven.

The oven mitt! He watches mom cook a lot.

After nap time we packed up again and headed to the park. Trussville has great play space in the "downtown" area. There is a large mall with tennis courts, a community pool, and two good parks. Aunt Shell met us there. B snacked on pistachios and ran Aunt Shell ragged. Mom was already tired...and a little pregnant!

Loving the swing!

Does this whale go any faster?

The horse doesn't move quickly either...

After the park we headed home for dinner with Dad. B was in a great mood and the day was fun! Why wouldn't he be? I wasn't trying to direct him all day. While at home we have rules and chores - laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc. If I had tried to actually work from home it would have been a nightmare and, honestly, consisted of lots of cartoons.

And I enjoyed the day seeing him try new things and experience activities that are on his level. I was impressed by his focus and curiosity at the McWane Center. He was able to navigate the new situation and really learn from his surroundings. And it confirms that our sweet baby is getting so big and changing every day. 

Now...back to work for some down time. Need to rest up for the holidays and baby #2!

On the Move: Furniture Shopping

Since moving in to our new house, we do a lot of furniture shopping. Sometimes it's more like furniture perusing considering the amount of items we still need to purchase. Dad and I prefer to shop together because we both need to be involved in the decision, so where Dad and I go, so comes B!

This has been interesting considering the amount of items most furniture stores contain and the fact that many of those items are fragile and don't need toddler snot strewn across them.

Checking out our new sectional for the basement. Note the snacks on the table.

Luckily, he has been decently behaved and left all furniture in its original state. No scratches, dirt stains, milk, or snack residue left behind. 

But furniture shopping is tedious and boring. We have looked at innumerable coffee tables and just can't seem to find the perfect one. This usually comes from a difference of opinion between mom and dad. I usually have something pretty specific in mind, or at least I think I do, until I see the options and become instantly overwhelmed. Dad has a harder time because he can't picture anything in the space unless it looks like what we had previously. He likes to ask about the return policy before any purchase...ya know, just in case. Fortunately, we have yet to return anything! 

Seen previously, our new kitchen table from Nadeau. B loves the bench, Dad was super nervous about the "no return" policy.

Otherwise, there is a lot of wandering and staring. And so the convo goes. 

Well, what do you think? Do you like the color? What about the size...is it too small? Do you think it will fit the other way? What if we moved the other end table over? Could we use the thing in your parents attic? Oh, I have an idea, what do you think about...

This is in between chasing B - who discovered bunk beds are AWESOME - and fending off sales people! We clearly won't be getting bunk beds until both boys are old enough to handle them. And we won't be purchasing anything from the saleswoman who asked if he had chocolate on his face. No, it's a boo-boo. What kind of people would we be letting our kid in a furniture store with chocolate on his face?!? She then said, "be sure he doesn't scratch it, they get itchy during the healing process." Which I translated to mean "be sure he doesn't scratch it and get blood on our new furniture...OK, thanks."

B found a chair for himself at Nadeau (not on the furniture list). Note the "chocolate" on his lip.

The search continues. The next items on the list include a coffee table, new end tables, recovering chairs (don't want to think about selecting fabric), art for above the couch, nursery decor, and a bedroom suite for B's room (probably coming from Nonna and Poppy's house). 

Post furniture-shopping fun in the new ENO from cousins Chris and Debbie!