The (Dreaded) Grocery Store

"Let's wait and go to the grocery store as a family," he said.

"It'll be good to get Semmes out of the house this afternoon," he said.

Those words would come back to haunt us...

We had to wake Cooper up from his nap to go to Kroger, which was one problem.  We thought a thunderstorm was about to be upon us and we wanted to go before it started raining.  And we didn't go to our normal Kroger, which was another problem.  But we wanted to go to a Kroger that had a Caroline's shopping cart.  Those things blew up on Facebook a few months ago, and we figured out that a few grocery stores around us had one.  So we wanted to try it out.  Bad idea.  They're a little too big for Cooper.  His feet don't touch the bottom and the leg pommel thing is too wide so he has to sit with his legs splayed open.  I'm sure it will be awesome when he's older (and bigger) but it was not a good experience today.

We figured that if Cooper was riding in the cart, I would just carry Semmes in the Ergo.  At first, this was fine.  But when Cooper was melting down in the produce section, we thought it would be a good idea to play kid musical chairs (hint, hint: it wasn't).  First we went and got one of those shopping carts with the cars at the front that Semmes normally LOVES.  We actually tried putting Cooper in it at first, but he had had enough of sitting in weird things and just screamed louder.  So we got Cooper out, and I took Semmes out of the Ergo so he could sit in the car.  Nope. He started having a fit.

So now both kids are screaming.  Right at the front of the store.  Where everyone is coming in.  Awesome.  So Brad leaves to go get Cooper's stroller out of the car. We put him in it, put Semmes in the shopping cart (not in the car part, even though we still have the car buggy), and hope for the best.  I ended up beating Cooper on the chest (patting him with a cupped hand which does calm him but is really loud and sounds like he's getting a good beating) to get him to stop crying.  And for about five minutes all was well.

But then Semmes starts crying and trying to stand up in the shopping cart.  And he REFUSES (like goes limp) to get in the car part of the cart.  So I put the Ergo back on and hold him like that again.  A few more minutes of peace.

Then (really, this was just getting ridiculous) Cooper starts screaming again.  So we decide that I'll take them to the car and Brad will finish shopping.  So much for our family outing/getting Semmes out of the house excursion.  We're all done.  So carrying Semmes and pushing the stroller, I make it all the way out of the store and almost to the car before I realize that I can't collapse Cooper's stroller because of the stitches in my hand (heck, I can barely get them in the car and strapped in, but I was going to do it just to end the misery).  So I take them both back in, we find Brad, and the rest of the shopping gets accomplished as quickly as we can do it.

And then we get to the checkout line.  We were using a WIC check, which has very specific requirements, most of which we don't know since Cooper just started getting solid food again.  The problem today: cheese.  Just so you know, you can't get shredded cheese (no idea why) with a WIC check; it has to be block cheese.  It took two trips by the manager to the cheese section to figure that out.  By this time, we've been standing at checkout for at least ten minutes.  Semmes is FREAKING OUT: trying to grab the candy and magazines, screaming, and flailing his arms in very close proximity to my face.  It was terrific.

Finally, finally, we get everything and get home.  And the thunder we heard, the lightning and gray clouds we saw?  Yeah, by the time we get the groceries into the house, the sun was out and shining again.  Of course.  And that may be the last time all four of us go to the store together ever again.