2 Pregnant Moms + 2 Toddlers at the Mall = Disaster

So, I am SO thankful to have met an awesome friend kind of thru Palmer. Nikki and I first met when she was 10 weeks pregnant with Reid and I was 6 weeks pregnant with Palmer. Our paths did not cross again really until one day I realized that the Reid in Palmer's new daycare class was actually the Reid that belonged to Nikki so I immediately emailed her and we had an instant connection thru the boys. The more we hang out the more we find out we have a lot in common and our husbands like each other too which makes things even that more awesome! :)

So fast forward to last night. Nikki is now 36 weeks pregnant with Baby Cook #2 and I am 26 weeks pregnant with Ann Mason. (How great, we are good at planning these things!) So, being the "fun" moms we are, we decided to meet at the holy grail of wintertime the mall! As a mom you quickly find "free resources" to take your kids to during the winter months and the mall is one of the best and cheapest options there is! Thanks to Oxmoor mall there is a big steamship where moms and kids gather to have some moments of fun. Reid and Palmer thought it was great and like to run and jump and play with the rest of the kids. Of course Palmer was everywhere and constantly running around and now his big thing is climbing over stuff and landing on his bottom! As I am picking him up I apologize to a mom that is standing there looking horrified. She looks at me and said "No, I am sorry my daughter peed on the steamboat and I am just making sure no one gets in it" At that point I hear the older sister of maybe 5 scream "My sister peeeeeeeed everywhere!" and a little girl standing there with soaked hot pink stretch pants! Ok, so seriously Palmer has yet to do that, I felt so bad for the mom but I couldn't contain my laughter as I met Nikki around the other side and we decided our day was not that bad :)

That is until we hit pottery barn kids. Nikki had never had the full pleasure of letting Reid run free in the PBK store. Luckily I learned of this little haven from my sister-in-law. I think Nikki thought that we really weren't supposed to be letting Palmer and Reid run free with whatever toy they wanted but I assured her that at any given time there were at least 15 kids doing the same thing, so it seemed like the reasonable thing to do. :) Palmer LOVES pottery barn kids and HATES having to leave. Just 3 days ago Tex and I took him out of the store and I proceeded to walk really fast in front of them because Palmer was flailing around and screaming :) So, Tex and I have definitely dealt with the walk of shame out of pottery barn kids when your child is screaming and other parents are giving you "that pity" look that says I am sorry you don't have any control of your kid. :)

So, Nikki and I realize that it is time to go when Palmer laid on the floor and started rolling around and Reid kind of zoned out and looked like he had, had enough. :) So we pick the 2 kids up and start to exit the store. Palmer started crying slightly but since this was Reid's first time having to exit the pottery barn kids haven he really had the meltdown. So, we get both kids out in front of the store and attempt to strap them in their strollers. This seems like a simple enough task,right? WRONG! Any mother that has had a toddler knows that they can lock their little bodies up so tight that you are practically breaking their little legs and arms to get them to sit down in, for instance a high chair or a stroller. Palmer has "locked up" at many a restaurant and to the other patrons horror we have tried to "unlock" his legs by shoving them through the highchair holes whilst he is screaming holy terror! Well, last night it was Reid's turn to "lock up" in front of pottery barn and let me tell you that the kid is a pro at "locking up". Nikki (who again is pretty much 9 months pregnant) is on her knees while Reid is locked up and arching his back meanwhile screaming like he is getting beat by a stick. :) I am contributing nothing but crossing my legs so I don't pee on myself cause I am laughing so hard!

So, here we are 2 very pregnant mommies with 2 uncooperative toddlers, one of which has his body locked up so tight it looks like he is going to break in half! You would not believe the people that actually stopped mid walking and turned to stare! That made me laugh harder. We either got the "pity looks" from other parents, the "horrified" looks that said that is exactly why I am not having children or the "confused" looks of people wondering why we decided to jump in feet first and have a second child when we can't get our first children calmed down! After some coaxing and both Nikki and I "helping" Reid get in his stroller we finally got him strapped in or at least buckled in enough to where he couldn't get out and or hurt himself :)

As I said bye to Nikki we both had that mom look of why do we try to do these things? We love our boys more than anything in the world but some outings with them can be truly exhausting. We decided it would have been much better to have gotten chick-fil-a to go and eaten it at someones house :)

But nights like last night make me realize I am NORMAL! :) I love Nikki to death and her and I are on kind of the same "mom page" and it makes me realize that I am not the only one who feels like I just can't get it together sometimes! I am sure most moms feel that way.

Reid and Palmer are the best of friends and they had a great time despite the meltdowns, here are a few pics of them playing! Nikki and I have decide that we deserve pedicures this week without kids!

So, here is to moms everywhere that have been "that" mom out in public with the "locked up" screaming child! We feel your pain and we will never give you the pity look!

Palmer and Reid playing in the Bus