In a fit of optimistic insanity, we decided to take a DAY TRIP to Chicago. With a two year old. "It'll be great," we said. "We'll get up just a little earlier than normal, drive three hours, hit the Shedd Aquarium shortly after it opens, eat lunch, head to our friends' house to give the kiddo a nap and visit, eat dinner, and head home! It's foolproof!" Suckers. First, we woke up a liiitle later than planned. And by we I mean me. I woke up later. I just couldn't drag my sleepy butt out of bed until 6:45a, the time we were planning to wake Nan and get her fed and dressed and out the door. So, we didn't leave the house 'til 7:20a. We decided to hit the doughnut shop for a special road-trip breakfast, so we REALLY didn't hit the road until close to 8a. We wisely invested in a portable DVD player, so Nan was perfectly happy to watch Nemo and his friends as we sped down the road. As we approached Chicago, we encountered construction on the interstate, so it quickly became stressful as I attempted to navigate and Jay tried to maneuver through the heavy Labor Day weekend traffic. We finally, finally reached Chicago, and found parking close to the aquarium. We had to walk a bit to reach the fish, but we got there. And found a long line. We patiently waited, purchased tickets ($25/adult, thank GOD she's under three and still free-- yikes) and were ready to look at fish! And our kid went nuts. She was running wildly, refusing to hold our hands or even stay close to us. In the crowd, it was tough to keep track of our tiny girl. We decided to head to the reefs exhibit, in the "underground" part of the aquarium, in hopes that it would be SLIGHTLY less crowded. It was, and after a quick talking-to, Nan quieted down and enjoyed the sights. As we progressed through the exhibit, she started to fall apart again. A quick glance at the time confirmed my thought-- hungry kid. When she gets hungry, she turns into demon-spawn. We hurried to the food court, spent another fortune on pizza, breadsticks, and fruit, and settled in to eat. My good girl returned to me, and the demon-spawn left the building until the next mealtime. We looked through the rest of the aquarium in relative peace, and headed to visit our friends. She fell asleep in the car, and we were able to lay her down at M and K's with no trouble. She woke earlier than we expected, and we were able to visit the beach! The condo is right next to Lake Michigan, and we were able to run and play along the shore. She got to feel the water on her feet, and squish in the sand. It was amazing. She had so much fun. After an hour or so, I remembered that we didn't have any sunscreen (bad mommy!), so we headed back to the condo. M and K's baby girl was just starting to wake, so we were able to visit with the baby, much to Nan's delight. She loves babies, and loves to pretend that her bear is a baby. She watched M rock with the baby, and mimicked his motions with her bear. So sweet. We decided to head to dinner, and everything fell apart. We went to a local middle eastern restaurant, and I planned to give Nan a mish-mash of food from my plate and Jay's, and supplement with snacks I brought from home. We got to the restaurant, and it was hot. So very hot. My girl doesn't do well with hot. Then, when our food arrived, she declared everything "yucky" and refused to take a bite. I finally coaxed her into eating some blueberries and crackers I had brought from home, but that was all she ate. She ran out of milk, and the restaurant had no more. The unholy tantrum began. My poor, sainted husband stood up suddenly, grabbed our ill-behaved child, and marched her butt to the car. M, K and I finished our dinner, and I went out to relieve Jay. He was sitting grimly in the backseat, while Nan chattered away happily in her carseat. I offered to let him go back in, but he refused. Nan asked to go back, so we reached an agreement that involved shoes but no socks, and Daddy carrying her. Logically, we understood that her bad behavior was due to exhaustion. This is a child used to 2 1/2-3 hour daily naps, and she barely got 45 minutes. But. Our logic was trumped by the seething anger and embarrassment that follows a tantrum. Especially in front of friends who haven't seen her since she was 4 months old. Who don't know that her usual restaurant behavior is beyond reproach. Who have an infant of their own, and are looking at our kid wondering, "Is this what's in store for us, or is their kid just an asshole?" Ok, probably not the last part. But still-- the anger was there, and I think it took all my husband had to keep from spanking her little butt in the parking lot. We paid the bill, and headed back to M and K's to change the kid into her jammies and say our goodbyes. Once she learned we were going home, she turned back into her usual sweet self. She was pleading to go home to sleep "in my PRINCESS bed, peeeeease?" Poor kid. We got in the car at last, put in her 'Curious George' dvd, and headed home. Thank god. Hours and hours and hours later (so it seemed), after more crazy detours and frequent wakings from the backseat with tearful pleas for the princess bed, we were able to collapse into our own (non-princess) bed. And I have promised my husband we won't attempt another trip like that until she's much older-- say, 16.
After her nap today, as we are apparently sadists, we plan to take her to the movies for the first time. God help us all.