NursingBliss from a SleeplessMama: Can I borrow your broom?

Leaving the house with a baby/toddler is anything but fast...I always assume leaving 30-45 minutes early will be a sufficient enough time to get where we need to go but that is never the case...diapers, wallets, toys, snacks, thank god for breastfeeding because at least I can't forget my boobs! Get everything in my arms, walk to the car, only to realize my keys are still inside the house! Luckily I even forgot to lock the door so I can actually go get my keys and then lock the door! (Nick always laughs at me when he is waiting for 20 min in the car when i tell him all i have to do is grab the diaper bag) This is our daily routine of leaving the house!

Eating out is just as fun as this leaving the house routine...maybe even better. We go out to eat maybe 2-3 times a month, and I feel like the need to go out has settled a bit since elliana has become mobile! Not only does our crazy rugrat not want to be held anymore, but try putting her in a high chair, forget it! She either wants to be sitting like a big girl next to her dada or she wants to be roaming from table to table waving at everyone she sees! All of which is fine unless you actually want to eat your meal :) we do like taking her out because she likes to learn and I find that restaurants are a good place to teach all sorts of skills, drinking out of a big girl cup, using utensils, saying pease and thank you and of course we can't forget her quirky little smile she gives to everyone who looks her way! Rice and beans, Elliana's favorite restaurant food! Messy, yummy, and easy for her to feed herself! Except by the time the bill comes nick and I are embarrassed to even look at the floor under Ellie's chair! Afraid of how big the mess might be and feeling like we should borrow a broom to clean it up! We have asked a few times but they always nicely decline and say don't worry about it, but there has also been a few times that the mess has been so bad we couldn't help but laugh and swear to each other that we could never step foot in that restaurant again!

We are just getting to the toddler years and I know that this independent stage is only going to get more intense! I've been having a hard time letting my baby grow up, but I know it's going to happen regardless of me liking it or not so I've decided to just enjoy the messes, laugh at what we can't clean up, and let her be the roaming social butterfly that she is! She melts my heart along with her daddy's so we are just going to sit back and watch her personality unfold even more!

Enjoy the messes my fellow mommies, it keeps getting messier!

Xo,

NursingBlissSleeplessMama