If This Is One, What Is Two Going To Be Like?!

Matthew is my shopping companion. We have a tendency to do all the shopping in the morning while both the big boys are at school. As a result, he knows exactly which grocery stores have those cool shopping carts that look like cars or rockets. When I pull into the parking lot of Harmons, Ream's, or Macey's he will start asking for a "car" before I even get the car parked. This morning Ream's was on our list of places to stop and as usual, the "car" chorus began before we ever got out of the car. So you can imagine my dismay when we stepped into the store and discovered that there were no fancy shopping carts available. I told Matthew there weren't any car carts, and then the screaming started. I've shopped with a screamer before, so my plan was just to stick him in a regular cart and get started. But he had other ideas. As he continued to scream, he held his body so rigid that I literally could not get him into the seat of the cart. And there was no way I was sticking him in the back of the cart. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had tried, he would have jumped right back out. Anyway, there I was, standing in the front of the store holding a screaming and flailing one year old. An older gentleman that works at the store passed with a look of concern ("No, I'm not beating my child. There's no need to call Child Protection Services.") and when I briefly explained my dilemma, he promptly disappeared. I continued to wrestle with Matthew (WWF would be proud) until I finally got him to bend just enough to shove his legs into the seat of the shopping cart. And just that moment, the aforementioned gentleman reappeared with a super fancy rocketship cart in hand. He had gone out to the parking lot and found one just for us. The screaming stopped immediately, although it took a few more minutes for the tears to stop.

That man gets double points in heaven. And a smile from Matthew. And that is just one more reason why I will drive a bit further to shop at Ream's.