My first day alone...

We have been so blessed to have Joe home with us for so long after Liam was born.  It was a combination of maternity/paternity leave, vacation, and working from home and it was really wonderful to have him with us so much especially helping more with Lily and Eli.  And while we spent time without him here and there over the weeks last Monday was my first full day with him back at work.

And I decided to go to Target...my first time with all 3 of them in tow.  Maybe I should have known better since the baby did skip his first nap of the morning.  But I just hoped that meant he would fall asleep in the car and peacefully sleep through our shopping trip.  That is not how things went.

He had a messy diaper before we left and I though we were good (since he only poops every 3 days) and after he ate we were off.  And he did fall asleep in the car...until we got to Target.  And then things went downhill quickly.  Liam started crying almost as soon as we got in the store and he just didn't stop.  He screamed and screamed no matter what I did until I took him out of his carseat and then he cried and screamed off and on with a few little breaks.

Yep...I was THAT mom.  You know the one...my baby was screaming, my 6 year old daughter trying hard to help and push the cart and not run into anything or anybody (because my hands were full with a screaming baby), and my 3 year old was not listening or being helpful at all as he switched between running away from the cart or riding the back of the cart like it was a wild horse.  I was clearly frazzled....obvious to anyone, I'm sure, due to my baggy clothes and puffy eyes, or my pleas with my children to behave and not run away from the cart, or the fact that I was just tossing things in the cart as quickly as possible (not really even sure what I was buying).  The kids may or may not have convinced me, in a moment of weakness, to buy a new bubble machine to replace ours that broke!

 I was a hot mess (and not the good kind of hot).  People were staring.  And right then and there I felt horrible for all of the frumpy exhausted moms with disobedient children and screaming babies that I had ever previously judged at Target.  And if I didn't judge you then I probably thought I was better than you or at the very least I had pity on you.  But apparently it just took a 3rd precious baby to push me over that edge myself!:)  Yep...people were staring, but I had to keep going because it took just too much darn work to get that far and I wasn't going to waste it and not get the things on my list.  So I finished and I swear that the cashier wouldn't even make eye contact with me.

But then, in a brief moment of grace for me, Liam stopped crying long enough (just long enough) for me to purchase some popcorn for the kids and a Frappuchino for me (just to get us through the car ride home).  And then, just when I thought the tides had turned, I made the discovery.  Just as I was about to put Liam in the car I discovered the possible reason for his crying.  Apparently that messy diaper I changed  before we left was a bit premature.  Because that sweet boy had a massive blowout.  And right there in the Target parking lot I opened up the trunk to my minivan and did the best I could to clean up the poop that had exploded everywhere (thank goodness I at least had an extra set of clothes for him).  A young couple walked by right during the worst part and I'm pretty sure there were gagging noises.  Go ahead young couple and judge me or pity me...your time is coming!:)

Liam screamed most of the way home and I just did the best I could to sip my Starbucks and get through it.  It was not our finest morning.  But we made it.  The afternoon got better and then Joe came home and we made it through another day.  Certainly there will be better and worse days to come, but I've got that first day alone with 3 kids under my belt!

P.S.  These pictures weren't even taken on our first day alone (I didn't have the energy or free hands to take any that day)...but I couldn't resist sharing and reminding myself just how adorable he really is (screaming through Target or not)!