Freezing Day at the Museum of Science

Yesterday morning it was -8 degrees when we woke up. The windchill was -29.  

But don't worry, we had a plan: spend most of the day at the Museum of Science. 

I got us tickets to a 4D movie _and_ the planetarium.  

I even managed to get all of us fed before our shows so that we didn't turn on each other in a hunger-induced meltdown about sugar-free jello.  Not that that has ever happened.  What hangry adult would insist her equally hangry six-year-old put down the sugar-free jello in favor of cookies and try explaining that "chemicals are worse than sugar!"?  Who would do that?

So, bellies full and meltdowns averted, we went to the 4D movie.  Bug chose his own seat in his own row, preferring to enjoy the movie alone perched on the edge of his seat, reaching out to touch vines and butterflies and turtles in the movie.  Meanwhile, Squish chose to sit on my husband's lap, leaning back and holding his 3D glasses on his face as if their magical powers warranted a little hand to remind them not to get too wild.  And my mom, Pumpkin, and I sat at the end of a row so that I could make a quick getaway if Pumpkin hated the experience (which she didn't because she is the world's best trooper). 

After the 4D show, we made our way toward the planetarium.  We were walking down a big, crowded corridor with the gift shop on one side and the entrance to the cafe area on the other when my mom asked, "Where is [Bug]?"

"He's up ahead.  I see him," I answered as I watched Bug zoom through all of the other families who had made similar Freezing Day plans.  I looked at my husband and said, "He wants nothing to do with us - haha."

My husband, Squish, Cora (in her stroller),  my mom, and I got to the end of the corridor, and we did not see Bug.  

Any parent reading this knows what happened next.  Time expanded and got really effing big and really effing slow.  My heartbeat got really effing loud.  

My husband calmly said he was going to look for Bug in the live animal area because we had mentioned it to the boys earlier in the day.  

I [pretend] calmly said, "Okay.  Good. Give me a call when you find him.  I will go back down the hall here [with the gift shop and cafe area]."

My mom asked what she could do to help, and I asked her to go with my husband. 

I pushed Cora in the stroller and held Squish's hand, and we retraced our steps as if we had dropped a toy.  

When we were going past the gift shop, Squish said, "I want a treat!!"

I told him no, and he asked why not.  "Because I have to find [Bug]," I said as we stopped to look around from the middle of the hall.  

I realized I didn't know what shirt Bug was wearing.  I wondered if I would even be able to pick him out of the crowd at this point because I was a dummy mom who didn't know what her kid looked like and (more to the point) because I was in a full blown panic.   

My phone buzzed, and I could see my husband at one end of the hall.   I thought he might be calling to say he had Bug.  But he shook his head when he saw me, and I looked at my phone to find  a random number was calling.  

"Hello?"

"Hi, [Momma]?"

"Yes???"

"Hi - this is [a fellow momma].  My son [Little Buddy] is in [Bug's] class - "

"Do you have Bug?!?!!"

"Yes! We are right by member services!"

And that is how I found Bug.  Safe and sound playing with his little buddy and his little buddy's twin brother.  

I wanted to fall into the arms of Little Buddy's parents and cry and cry and cry.  And thank them.  And cry.  And thank them some more.  

We have taught Bug and Squish that if they ever end up losing their grown-up and can't find them, then they should look for a grown-up with kids to ask for help.  Somehow Bug found a grown-up with kids who also happened to have my phone number.  

.  

Rainbow dash

"I want to whisper something in your ear," Squish told me as Bug and my husband were leaving for Kindergarten this morning.

I bent down to listen.

"I am going to squish Rainbow Dash," Squish whispered.

I suggested that it wasn't very nice to squish people.  Squish corrected me on two points: (1) Rainbow Dash is not a person - she is a pony; and (2) she is not real.

Fair enough.  I decided to let his imagination work its magic while I nursed Pumpkin before taking them both to school today.

The three of us made our way upstairs so I could nurse and rock Pumpkin, and I had suggested that Squish look at books on my bed.

When I checked on Squish before I settled in with Pumpkin, I saw him sitting on my bed, criss-cross-applesauce, staring at the wall ahead of him.

"[Squish], you don't want to read books this morning?"

Accomplishments

Proud to report that Pumpkin, who discovered her feet a mere ten days ago, can now put them in her mouth.  

Also, trying to blog daily this month is crazy difficult.  

Can it be NaBloPoMo every other day?

Too many priorities.   Trying to avoid the trap from everything being a priority (nothing will be a priority).

At this very moment, sleep has to be the priority.  Pumpkin is sleeping in her crib.  Bug and Squish are snuggled in their bottom bunk and sleeping.  

So I suppose this blog post is just a very long way of writing, "good night."

Mondays

Monday mornings are that time when I look at Pumpkin and realize how short the weekend was.  

Then I take her to daycare.  

And Monday evenings are that time when I realize how long weekdays are.  

Then I nurse Pumpkin and put her to bed.   

When Bug was a baby, I worked part-time (four days a week) until he was one.  I remember the night I did the math in my head while I nursed him at bedtime.  I calculated the number of waking hours he would be spending with the nanny and compared it to the number he had with me. I was okay because I had more.  

I worked part-time (four days a week) until Squish was almost nine months old. He and I had Fridays together just the two of us for months even after I returned to work.  

I can't afford to work four days a week now.  

 I know I am actually really lucky in so many ways, but Mondays just leave me feeling a little broken-hearted lately.  

Bright spot

When I wasn't checking social media for answers today, I was wrangling the boys.  

Into swim clothes

To swim lessons (Squish went; Bug abstained)

Out of swim clothes 

Into the car after Pumpkin started to go berzerk in her stroller on the playground 

Up the stairs to our front door

And so on and so forth

In the afternoon we decided to go to the grocery store for chocolate chips so that we could make cookies.  

More wrangling. 

Shoes.  

Jackets. 

Then in the middle of it all, Bug started singing a silly song while he danced in a circle around me.  

In my arms, Pumpkin was entranced.  She loved his song and dance and started to laugh. Her sweet, five-month-old belly laugh.  

I looked down to my right, and Squish was sitting cross-cross-applesauce with his palms facing upward meditating.  

That was my favorite moment today.  Absurd and light filled.   And I am  grateful for it.  

Paris

Keeping France in thoughts and prayers tonight.