Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Baby's day out!

And my baby had his first trip to the mall. It is only fair that we take him to the mall for his first real outing, him being a US citizen and all. BTW, I have decided that he will be a democrat and when I asked he voted for Obama over Clinton. I wonder if that is because he is a guy and at this age they tend to be gender biased!
So, RK was fed, changed (into one of his three blue suits!), strapped into the car seat and carted off. I was sure we had everything we needed. Diaper bag fully packed, outfitted with spare clothes, diapers, wipes, washcloth, burp cloth, butt wipes;u name it! We had water and sandwiches. (Hee hee....typically desi phamily outing eh??). We had even taken jackets knowing it would be chilly by the time we got back. And finally we left home! Hubby tried to run the first red light but I stopped him. So no excitement there. A few exits down I remembered"But we didn't take the stroller!". And back we went. But I must say RK rose to the occasion sleeping through all the stops, the noise and the heat. And once again we set off. Ironic though the first place we took him to was 'Walmart'. Aakhir RK has to be an ABCD na??!! Like my mom rightly commented "There are so few 'velaikaara' (white people) at this place". To top that I fed him right outside Walmart in the parking lot. Other than the fact that I had to twist at odd angles to drape the coverall, hold him and still fit in the little gap between the car seat and the door it was okay I guess. He fed well and pretended this was no different. Atta boy RK! We bought him his first pair of shoes too. Totally indulgent buy, but hubby couldn't resist.
Then we took him to the mall. He was a happy camper looking at everything and absorbing all the sights and sounds. And a stop at the mall is never quick with me. End result it was time for his next feed as we were heading back. This time RK had it! Wailing in the back seat inconsolably. And out came the weapon Never before used - the pacifier. I was sitting in the front seat tears streaming down my cheeks feeling guilty as hell! My mom was feeling v bad and was saying things like "Poor guy", "he's swallowing his own spit" etc etc. That made it worse. I didn't even feel so bad when I gave him a nosebleed. And that has been my guiltiest moment as a mom to date. From what my mom says many more are to follow. She told me once "As a mother you are forever feeling guilty" !
So all the mom;s out there, take heart. Enjoy the moments and know that it is okay. Guilt comes from the womb! Don't take it to heart.