The Poster Child For Birth Control

My baby performed a public service yesterday.

David spent the day driving his sister and the boys to the airport. We all went out for a big breakfast before they left. After that, I had my girls and myself to take care of and we had no clue as to what to do with our day. We ended up at my parents' house where we all decided we should try to see a movie. My mom had been wanting to take the girls to see 'Ratatouille.' I'd been wanting to see that one too. We picked a time, a theater, and off we went. 11YO and 4YO love going to the movies and are never any problem. 1YO even started out doing pretty well. She started out that way, anyway. The one thing I know about being a parent is that I don't really know anything.

The movie was really cute. Well, what I saw of it, anyway! She lost her cool the last half hour (like clockwork!) and wanted to spend the remainder of the movie running up and down the steps next to our seats. Thank you, stadium seating!

The fun of running up and down steps is simply not complete without squealing and shouting 'NO!' at the top of your lungs while your mother tries to quietly coax you back to your seat.

I quickly scooped up the offending child and scurried out of the theater, trying to cover that hole in her face that wouldn't stop making noise. We ended up in the hallway between all the other theaters and the lobby. There were lots of signs and posters about the movies coming out soon. We walked all around and talked about all the pictures and the colors and the shapes on the posters. I tried (and failed) to get us back into our theater to see the rest of the movie several times. She really wanted to get back in there, but only because that's where the stairs were!

Are there any theaters anymore without stadium seating?

I bought her some candy from one of the little vending machines. Bribery is always an option for us! She wasnt' really liking the candy as much as I'd hoped. I lifted her up and let her drop her candy into the trash can. She then proceded to fall on the floor and roll across the lobby rug. As people, young and old, walked past us I couldn't help but think she looked like an ad for birth control. I tried to get her off the floor. She eventually conceded, but only because she had decided her shoes really belonged in the garbage can. She got one in before I was able to stop her.

I'm not sure if they were laughing at the baby or me as they walked past. The 'moms with experience' were probably smiling because they had been there once too.

I'd just like to think that the young couples who witnessed this episode made their next stop a drug store for a new pack of condoms.