Parenthood

Eli and I went to the grocery store today. I love going out with him. It beats the humdrum of staying at home all day with a newborn. But, I've been trying to combine errand trips out so that we don't have to leave the house every single day. For the most part, this works fine and I get things done and Eli is either asleep the whole time we're out or he's cute and gurgly and passersby fawn all over him. A couple of times, though, I've made the mistake of being out too long and not a) bringing a diaper bag, or b) being conscience of his feeding time. Ugh, it was miserable. Let's just say that I have fed him in a Macy's lounge/bathroom and in an Old Navy dressing room. Like Jeff says, it's apparent that I'm a parent.

Today was an errand day and I was determined to time everything so that we would leave the house after a feeding and get back in time for the next feeding. That gave me 3 hours. After dropping off the dry cleaning and filling up the gas tank, we end up at Raley's. A lady came up to our cart and declared, "Oh, she's so cute! How many months is she?"

"HE'S about three months." I was a little put-off. Did my little boy really look like a little girl? What is it about his features that look feminine? It's not like I curled his long-ass eyelashes or anything, although I had a dream that I did just that.

We wandered over to the bakery and I immediately felt a wave of lust and guilt. I try not to make a habit of going to the grocery store when I'm hungry because then everything looks delicious and I veer from my list. Yes, I make a list for the grocery store. I plan what I want to feed my husband for the week and I shop accordingly. Actually, our process is this: I hand him a cookbook, tell him to pick out a few things that sound good, then I experiment with the recipe and make it for him. It works for us and lucky for me, he eats everything I make (save that one time I made dandelion greens - he was not a happy camper and immediately spit it out on our porch).

So yes, I was lured to the bakery/deli and what did I end up buying? Four mini-desserts and fried chicken. Oh, the heart attack horror. Did we need those items? Hell no. Was it delicious? Hell yeah!

I love shopping for food. I actually miss the Whole Foods in Mill Valley and I heard that the second Whole Foods in MV is opening this week. Sigh. I can't wait to explore the farmer's markets in the area. In the meantime, Eli and I are regulars at Raley's. I wandered the aisles, trying to find inspiration. I spoke to the produce guy and got some good looking zucchini. I stopped by the meat department and dropped off a couple of knives (they sharpen them for free). I went through check-out and only after I paid did I realize that I forgot to pick up milk for Jeff. It was the first item on my list. As I went back through the store, Eli started getting fussy and I checked my watch. I had lost track of time. Again. Time to go home.

A few seconds later, an older lady approached and asked, "Where can I pick up one of these?" while pointing to Eli.

I smiled at her, then at Eli, who changed his scowl to a smile for the lady, and replied, "Over in Aisle 4. There's a sale today."

Parenthood. It's awesome.