Out and About

It is the end of what has been a good week. I have been trying to get out and about more with Carter. A few weeks ago Carter would get fussy every time I would put him in the car seat, which made for tiring outings. I kept trying to figure out why he was fussy all of a sudden. I tried giving him new toys, making sure the straps weren’t too tight, etc. Finally, we decided to move the straps of the car seat to the next level. Magic. Apparently Carter had gotten a little too big and was uncomfortable in the smaller strap size. So, now that I have a happy traveler once again I have been venturing out more.

So this week I took him to vote, to the grocery store, to the craft store, and to a boutique. Lucky Carter, right? Here are a few highlights from the trips…

I am learning that grocery store shopping will never be the same with a little one. I have started to carry Carter in the Baby Bjorn carrier while I shop so he can see everything as I walk up and down the aisles. He seems to love it. And this week at the store he made lots of new friends. There are a few assisted living facilities in our neighborhood, and apparently a shuttle bus of residents had just arrived at the grocer. Each aisle had a couple of senior citizens who adored Carter. And he adored them right back giving lots of smiles and giggles. It was fun for both of us. I got to talking to one woman whose face just lit up as she was talking to Carter. She told me she has 11 great-grandchildren. Wow.

At the craft store I picked up a sewing pattern for pants and overalls for Carter. I have only sewed from a pattern once before. I took a sewing lesson in Charlottesville and made pajama pants. They turned out a little bigger than I needed them to be…but it was still very rewarding to make something from scratch. So, I am going to give the pants another try…this time for Carter. I figure if they end up too big this time, he will grow into them. I hope to post pictures of the finished product in the near future. I am writing about this project in hopes it will keep me motivated to finish the project in the near future.

Finally, today, we visited a fun boutique that I have been wanting to visit. We pass this really cute store with a big pink and green sign on the way to lots of errands, but I never stop. Well, a few weeks ago I saw a sign advertising their open house on November 7-8. I happened to remember the advertisement this morning so I strapped Carter in the carseat and we were off. Imagine my disappointment when I get to the store, get Carter out of the carseat, walk past the first adorable window of Christmas decorations, pass the door that says “use next door” only to come to the entrance that is covered with wrapping paper and states their Open House hours are from 5-9 pm. What? Are you serious? Evidently they forgot the “Open” in “Open House”! What’s more bizarre is that their regular Friday hours open at 10. What’s even more bizarre is the story I learned from another disappointed potential customer in the parking lot. She was in the store a couple of weeks ago and took a few Christmas items to the register. But, the store would not let her purchase the items until after the holiday open house. So, they turned down the sale. This customer faithfully came back today – on the day of the holiday open house – to purchase these items only to be turned away by closed doors. For such a cute store they sure don’t seem to have the best business strategy (in my opinion).

So, those are our outings of the week. Carter is a trooper.