Fun in Kmart

Over the weekend Darcey and I had to go shopping for, of all things, a sleeping bag for Leah. We aren't sending her on a camping trip or a sleepover. We needed the sleeping bag because she moved to a new classroom this week which doesn't use cribs for nap time. Instead they lay out a bunch of sleeping bags on the floor and have the kids lay down for their naps.

Now for those of you who haven't been around Leah for a while, let me explain something to you. She doesn't sit still. Period. She never stops…well anything. She pulls toys out and spills them all over the floor. She pulls things that aren't toys out and spills them all over the floor. She dances. She runs. She squirms. Man, does she squirm.

So on our quest to find a sleeping bag we went from store to store, always putting her in the seat of a shopping cart so we wouldn't have to chase her through the aisles. She won't let us carry her (see the note about squirming above) and we wouldn't want to anyway because she has gotten so heavy. So after three or four stores, she was just done with the shopping cart. We had to let her go.

And we had fun. One of the things that Darcey and I have both struggled with since she was born is how to take her out in public and keep her from being a bother to other people. We have both gotten a lot better about going out with her, but I know that we needed that little reminder that toddlers belong out in the world too.

As for the sleeping bag, we found a fun colorful retro-looking one with a sort of abstract flower pattern on it. And, needless to say, I was shocked when her daycare report came home noting that she had taken a 90-minute nap on her first day in the new class.

-Sefton