Times They Are A-Changin'

I have to admit that for the past six months (at least), I've dreaded taking Dare Devil anywhere that he wouldn't be confined to a stroller. He will be two next month but he takes off running, won't listen, won't hold my hand, etc. It has become increasingly difficult with the bigger I get (I'm in my eighth month now). I've even stayed home and missed some of Big Brother's baseball games because I just can't keep up with DD.

When BB was only about eighteen months old, he would gladly hold your hand and walk anywhere with you. He rarely put up a fight and he would follow any directions you gave him quite perfectly. But even a trip to the mall is hard with DD. He weighs thirty-seven pounds now so it's very difficult to gather him up when he's throwing a temper tantrum or flailing to get out of your arms. And I feel bad that I don't take him too many places but honestly it's just not worth the fight and aggravation.

Today, however, I got tired of being stuck in the house. I have been in some serious nesting mode trying to get the house clean and neat and prepared before the new baby arrives and I decided that today I would do something fun with the kids. We have a membership to a children's museum around the corner that has a lot of hands on areas. So, with much hesitation, I packed up the kids and headed off, praying that it wouldn't be crowded. (It's always so much harder to chase DD through a crowd or simply deal with agitated stares from other parents.) Luckily, other than what looked like a day camp group, there were only a handful of other kids. When you walk into this place, you have to sign in and show your membership card. I reluctantly put DD down while I did this and much to my surprise he calmly walked around the room looking at all of the toys for sale (this also happens to be the gift shop area). When I was done I said, "Ok bub, time to go in." Again, to my surprise, he headed right for the door leading into the museum. The next hour and a half went extremely well, with the exception of one temper tantrum over trying to get his sneakers back on. I was in disbelief. He played so nicely, let me help him climb up a wooden ship and tractor and even let me hold his hand as he slid down several slides. This is a side I never see of DD.

Then I began to dread what it was going to be like when it was time to leave. I could see me trying to balance the diaper bag, the door and a screaming DD. But today has been a day of miracles. Out of nowhere, DD put down the crayons he was using to color in the craft area and headed for the door. I quick grabbed my diaper bag and ran after him. He waited for me to catch up (which he had done all day) and then opened the door, walked into the gift shop, looked around for about five minutes and headed for the main door. I pinched myself at this point just to make sure this was actually happening. He decided it was time to leave so there was no fight, no argument, no trouble getting him into his car seat. I was so happy and proud of him that I treated him and BB to McDonald's for lunch.

This day has given me some hope. I had actually began to worry that I'd never be able to go out and do fun things with DD like I had always done with BB but now, I feel anything is possible.