Mamalogues: The Magic of Mundane

Wednesdays are usually grocery run days. The baby wakes up, I feed her a bottle, I get dressed and ready, and then we both have breakfast together before finally leaving the house and going out. What used to be a mentality of "Where can I find the best value for each item I purchase?" has turned into "How can I get everything I need in the most effective way possible?" Every now and then I'll get lucky and my daughter will cooperate and we can still run to 2 different grocery stores in one trip. But most of the time, I don't chance it and pick my battles.

After my daughter was born last year, I became acquainted with one of the cashiers, Judy, who worked at my most frequented grocery store. My daughter was still in the carrier car seat in the base of the cart at the time and I'd pile my groceries around her and in the top section where the child/baby usually sits. She was five weeks old the very first time I ventured to the grocery store with a baby. As she grew up, I slowly transitioned her into the seat portion of the cart and regained the rest of my cart for groceries. Week after week, I'd make an effort to look for Ms. Judy and wait in her lane, even if it wasn't the shortest line.

When my daughter was old enough to sit in the seat and hold herself upright, she also became more aware of Ms. Judy. Ms. Judy gave her balloons on multiple occasions after realizing my daughter loved balloons and was noticing the bright foil ones that marked each cashier lane. Here's a picture from a few months ago with one of our coveted pink balloons.

We didn't get a balloon today, but that's ok. She's slowly moving past the balloon stage.