This summer I was blessed enough to be a part of the St. Jude Mattoon to Peoria Run. The run is a fundraiser for children at St. Jude and culminates in a 150-mile run from Mattoon to Peoria where the fundraising is celebrated. I am not a runner, so I rode along and provided "run support." I also took photos and made a video of my trip (naturally, I'm a journalist!). It was an amazing experience and very inspiring to see these 50 runners and their physical and emotional dedication to this cause. After it's all said and done, there is a wrap party to share photos and memories. I decided to attend this party and take my 15-month-old. By myself. My husband was needing to get some yardwork done and I thought, "What a great time for him to do that and we'll go and enjoy the party!" (In case you're interested in seeing what the run is all about, you can view the video I made here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK2cW2YQWDI)
Now, I've been places with my son by myself before, but I can safely say this was a new experience. And a learning one. First, he's walking now so his favorite thing to do was run around and try to play with other kids and explore. Not so bad. I can just follow him and make sure he plays nice and doesn't explore anything too dirty or inappropriate. I never bothered trying to go to the bathroom while I was there because I honestly had no idea what I would do with him. I don't think he could stand still and behave in a bathroom stall long enough! He did well sitting at the table and eating snacks until dinnertime. I decided to take him to the line with me to get food (it was buffet-style). This is where it got interesting. Like I said, I was learning new things all the time here as I often am as a first-time parent. Luckily, I knew many people there and my friends Dalena and Rick were able to help me and entertain Tyler a little in line or what happened next could've been a complete disaster.
We're in line waiting patiently (well, sort of) and I pick up a plate and proceed to get a few rolls. Next is the buns for the pulled pork they were serving. Right about there in the line Tyler decides to grab the whole bun bag and pull it off the counter. Luckily, Dalena is right behind us to grab them before they all hit the floor and are rendered completely useless. We get that all taken care of an move up to the pulled pork. I reach up to get the tongs and Tyler beats me to them and pulls them out of the dish flinging hot pork juice all over. I'm struggling to get them and keep him settled down while he's wildly waving the tongs around. Dalena and Rick rescue the tongs before they get dumped on the floor or thrown at somebody, thank goodness! Another disaster averted. We did finally get to our table and manage to eat and watch the videos without incident (except Tyler falling asleep for a few minutes. I'm sure he was exhausted from all of that potential fun-ruining!).
I guess the moral of the story is, thank goodness for good friends and life with kids will always be a learning experience! It certainly made me appreciate all of those times I have help even more. It's crazy to think that it's so much easier when someone is with you. You can go to the bathroom, order a drink, walk across the room to talk to someone, etc., and there's another set of eyes to watch him! It's totally doable on your own, but again, it sure made me grateful for all the help I do get!
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