Monday, March 05, 2007

Eating Out, No More

Mike and I came to quick realization Saturday night. We can no longer eat out at a sit-down restaurant. It's tough convincing Ms. "I need to explore my world" that it's fun to sit at the table waiting for the food to arrive, much less wanting to actually eat the food when it comes. I now understand why the dining options for families with young children center around fast food and play lands.

After a long day -- for Mike, it was helping to move the Comers and for me, it was a work retreat that started Friday, I announced to Mike I didn't want to cook and we were going out to eat. We ventured to Red Robin to use a Christmas gift certificate. Silly us, we thought the noise, atmosphere and balloons would be enough to entertain Ella so Mike and I could relax and enjoy our dinner. Man, were we ever wrong!! Ella refused to be contained, refused to sit still and even refused to sit on our laps. Instead of the laid back evening Mike and I intended to have, we spent the night as the sidekick to the social butterfly as every table was either a long lost friend or a new friend waiting to be made. So while one of us slammed down a burger, the other walked around the restaurant with the little one. It so wasn't any fun, and not quite the meal we wanted, but I did enjoy watching her bring smiles and laughter to the restaurant.

In other news, Ella is no longer a Lamb but a Koala. She made the move last Monday. It was a tough week for mommy and her. Each day did get a bit easier on her, not yet on me. The director and the teacher said she probably would have two tough weeks. In the new classroom, Ella is sleeping on a cot, has a structured nap time and no longer has access to a pacifier. I know this kid is adaptable, but dang she's been through a lot of change lately. We hope Faith will join Ella shortly to help ease the transition and get her back with her good friend.

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