I Haven't Posted...

I haven't posted yet about this weekend because it didn't go as planned.

Not that it was bad (on the contrary!), just unexpected. It's a good thing go-with-the-flow was part of the plan from the get-go...

First, Will had his interview in Manch. That was good. I had him drop Ills and I off at the mall to shop for our niece's birthday presents (and of course stop by Old Navy to grab up some clearance stuff for the girl! Can you believe I got a peacoat for next year for 5 BUCKS! And a couple of sweaters for the same price... A ton of toddler winter stuff was on clearance. If you have a munchkin, I'd suggest hitting them up for some steals before they run out!)

So we were shopping, having fun, playing at the play-place in the mall with the zillion and a half kids running around. Then came time for the mall to close. Still no Dada. Uh oh.... I was starting to get worried. Called my Mom for a back-up ride plan, in case. Just as the mall guards were rounding everyone up and getting ready to shut the lights off, he pulls up. WHEW!

Turned out he had to cut the interview short because he had to come get us! A little bit embarrassing, but truth be told, I would have been miffed to have had to wait for him outside in the cold with the todd when the mall peeps booted us out. So he made the right call in saying he had to go. I was also glad that the guy liked him enough to want to chat that long. The interview was over an hour total, so things on that front look good... Will thinks he'll hear from him again, and hopefully landed the job.

BUT. But... The girl usually goes to bed at 8.

So, leaving the mall at 9:40, not getting to my Mom's house till around 10, and then having to say hellos and get settled in... She wasn't even IN bed until around 10:30, nevermind sleeping. That night was, to say the VERY least, rough. On both of us.

She spent about three hours SCREAMING in the middle of the night. She didn't want me, she didn't want to lay with me, didn't want to stay in the pack and play... didn't want sippy, didn't want TV. Nope, she just wanted to SCREAM. Great. Needless to say, she didn't get much sleep, and neither did I. I was thinking that she might have a hard time at Chuck E Cheese's the next day.

Actually, she got through it swimmingly. She loved it, even if it was a little bit of stimulation overload. The party was all-inclusive; I was expecting to have to spend money, so it was a nice surprise that the tokens and even the food for us adults was included! Illy spent most of the day sliding on the slide and riding the carousel- those were her favorites. She didn't really understand the game concept yet; I tried getting her to play whack-a-mole with me, but she was quickly distracted. She did, however, dance with Chuck E, and also high-fived him. She seemed to really like the huge mouse, which was a relief!

Another unexpected- my camera died after taking about three fuzzy pictures. Dammit. Why didn't I check the batteries?! Truth? I still haven't recharged and replaced them. Which is why you aren't getting any of the fuzzy birthday pics here. I promise I will upload them tonight and see if any of them are worth sharing. With moving next week, I've been a little busy... *sigh*

The party was great fun for all :) I, personally, don't mind Chuck E Cheese... I know a lot of people call it "parental hell", but my mom used to bring my brother and I there almost every Friday when I was younger, so I have good memories of it... And though it can be overwhelming, it is fun overall and the kids had a blast. When we left, though... Poor little Illy was SO wiped. After staying up late, not sleeping, and being overstimulated by shiny, strobing, noisy, sugary, dancing giant mouses and rides, she was so done.

So I ended up having to cancel on my Dad and Nana, which made me a little sad. I was really looking forward to seeing Nana after four months of her being away, and I know she was looking forward to seeing the girl. We promised to get together as soon as we can, though... I just knew that if I dragged Bendy on another expedition on Sunday, she would have been miserable and out-of-sorts all week. Which isn't fun for any of us.

This is why go with the flow is part of my mantra. You just never know how things will turn out...