“What a good baby!”
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, while we are out in public, I would be rich…literally. I always looked at these exclaiming strangers like they had three heads. “She’s just sleeping…” I would think innocently in my head. I would smile and nod politely but I never really understood what they were talking about. I mean, really, what else would she be doing?
How naive was I.
Seriously.
Last weekend my husband and I decided to go out and finish our Christmas shopping for one another. We met up with my parents and the guys and gals split up, meaning I got the babes. Not that it mattered…she was just going to sleep through the whole evening, per usual. NOT.
Now I don’t know where this crazed, demon-like child came from but she sure as hell was not the baby I’ve known for the past 5 months. It started at Target; she had been awake for quite some time so I just “knew” I had this one in the bag…she was bound to fall right to sleep as soon as I started pushing her around the store. However, that is not what happened at all. She just stared at me, the lights, the people, etc for the longest time. I actually found it quite amusing, we were experiencing shopping together! She was pretty content with this for about 5 whole minutes. Then she started to get a little fussy…”she must just be hungry!” I told my mom. No big deal…we have fed her in stores dozens of times. Wrong answer.
I could almost feel Arabella mocking me at this point, as she squirmed in my arms and started to whimper. It was as if she was saying “you think you know what I want?” Rather than drink from her bottle, she kept pushing it away; her whimpers turning to a wretched cry. She was definitely overtired but no matter how much I bounced, hummed, “sshhh’d,” she just wouldn’t let up. We reluctantly kept making our way through the store, we had a full cart and there was no turning back now.
My once “good baby” was now at a full scream. The type of scream that elicits awkward smiles from strangers. I know these smiles…I’ve just never been on this end of them. In the past I’VE been the one giving these smiles, all the while thinking, “oh that poor mom/dad, if I was them I would not be out in public.” But being on this end of the smiles and stares all I could do was nervously laugh as I actively bounced my little beast wild child.
We somehow made it through checkout, while playing Pass the Fussy Baby. We didn’t, however, make it out the door before I got showered in vomit (perhaps it was all the bouncing mixed with the high anxiety, not sure) We got out to the car and I called my husband “I hope you’re done shopping, you have to come get her. I don’t even know who she is right now but she’s out of control. I can’t stop her from crying and we’ve only been to one store…blah blah blah.” He probably couldn’t even hear a word I said because I was rambling so much. “OK. OK. I’ll come meet you” he said calmly…HA! Joke was on him…he didn’t know what he was walking in to. Yet, I sat in the backseat with my little love and held her til she passed right out. I called my husband back and told him I no longer needed him. He asked if I was positive…I said yes….but again, I was wrong.
As soon as we arrived to the next store, Arabella’s eyes sprung back open. The whimpering and squirming started back up and she HAD to be held. It was painfully obvious how tired she was but she was SO CURIOUS about everything around her; she had to look at everyone and everything. We didn’t make it very far until the screams started again, at which point I threw in the towel.
I know I should be happy that my baby is becoming curious about the world around her but all I can envision is us never being able to leave the house again. And I really want to know…where has my good baby gone?
xo, Jess
