(Aside: on Saturday we went shopping for her gift, which I planned to be Berenstain Bears books, since it seems to be a shared love of Anna and the birthday girl. However, after an inpromptu stop at KMart for some cheap hanging flower baskets [I have gotten so
The party was at a playspace in the mall I never knew existed. It had climbers, a giant blowup trampoline room, and even a ball pit. I planned to take Anna myself, and Mike and Emmy were going to shop and go out to lunch together. But when I got there, I learned that parents didn't have to stay. They were free to go shopping or whatever. [Blank stare.] "Really?"
Best.Birthday.Party.Ever. I felt a teensy bit guilty to leave--Should I be sociable with the other mothers*? Am I abandoning my child? Does it seem like I'm using them for free babysitting? But, space was pretty tight, and I saw other mothers leaving, so I pried Anna from the climber to feel her out on whether she'd be okay with me leaving.
"Anna, sweetie, I'm thinking about going out for a little bit, but I'll be back very soon, and you can stay and play with your friends. Is that okay with y-"
[Anna literally pushes off me like an olymic swimmer turning on a wall] "BYE!"
I caught up with Mike and Emmy, and we went on an incredibly frustrating shopping trip. (Never shopping at Macy's ever again. Ever. For anything.)
And then it was time for lunch. We scanned the options in the food court, and well, blegh. We decided to sit down in Houlihan's for a real lunch. It was the most pleasant meal I've had in a restaurant since I can remember.
1. The server was awesome. She spoke to Emmy and "took her order", she brought her a little plate of baby carrots to munch on immediately after we placed our order, and at the end she gave Emmy a sticker. This server actually kept several sheets of stickers in her billfold. Genius.
2. The food was fun. It wasn't amazing foodie food or anything, but slightly more interesting than typical restaurant fare. But they have a special menu like I've never seen, called small plates. Everything was $4-7, and the menu was billed as being for people who can't make up their mind, or want a sampler. That's me! Always! I hate committing to one meal! They suggested 2-4 small plates per person. I got a cup of soup for $3 and a little bowl of thai noodle salad for $4. I have been aching for a restaurant to serve food in appropriate serving sizes for all my life. I got about a cup of the noodle salad, which was plenty to fill me up. I was so pleased.
3. Emmy. I truly didn't realize until yesterday how fabulous Emmy is. I mean, I love her with the fire of a thousand burning suns, blah blah blah, but, I don't know. It's like you can never feel about your second the way you felt about your first. And not because the second isn't just as wonderful, or that you are less easily impressed. I think the second just gets drowned out by the loudness, the boisterousness, the in-your-faceness of an older sibling. When your first child babbles something that could have been a word, you obsess over whether it was a word. When you're sure, you squeal with delight. You tell all your friends about it. You blog about it. When your first child waves bye-bye, or flirts with a stranger, or rides the mechanical pony in the mall for the first time, your heart melts. You take photos, you swell with pride, you are sometimes moved to tears. When the second one does it, you barely notice. Because it's old hat? Yesterday's news? I am now pretty sure that's not the case. Because yesterday, with just me, Mike and Emmy in the restaurant, I felt those old first-child feelings. She had my full attention, and couldn't possibly have been any more adorable. She enthusiastically ordered "mac and cheese" for her lunch, and was just a riot to watch. I forgot how fabulous two-and-a-half can be. She was sweet, charming, and funny. And my heart nearly burst with love and affection. That is something I rarely feel anymore. It was really nice to discover it was still there.
But it did feel funny, overall. I had this guilty feeling, like we were posers. We were playing the part of first-time parents. We looked like parents with an only child. A doted-upon, apple-of-our-eyes only child. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But it felt so fake. And fun. It was refreshing. Pretending to be something you're not, and feeling like you got one over on everybody, is fun. I'd like to do that more. I think my little Emelia and I could use some more personal time together.
1 comment:
I would luh-uh-uh-UV that menu. When I go out for breakfast I order a whole bunch of sides instead of a main thing.
I feel so strange now that the older four kids are in school: I go places with just 3-year-old Henry and I feel like other people are looking at me thinking "First time mom---wonder if she'll have another or if she'll be too old?"
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