Tuesday, February 12, 2008

DID WE DARE TRY???

On Sunday we were just dying to see a movie. Problem is...we are so day-to-day on our schedules that we keep forgetting to book a babysitter in advance. So Don and I started scheming on whether it would be possible to coerce a 16-month old into a movie without regretting the expense in tickets and popcorn. Here's our thought process:

1. Nate is always wiped out on Sunday afternoons.
2. If we wheel him around the mall in his stroller after a big lunch, he MIGHT fall asleep
3. If he's that tired, he'll be conked out for awhile
4. We could bring his blanket and a few toys to keep him occupied if he wakes up in the movie

Ok so after justifying the process, we decided to go for it. The movie ("The Bucket List") started at 2:40pm. We walked around the mall for 45 min. and Nate was still awake, chewing on his panda. At 2:30, we decided if he wasn't asleep by the time we got to the theater entrance, we weren't going for it. The minute we strolled up to the entrance, I looked down at him and he was totally conked out!! We rushed over, got our tickets and popcorn and found a place on the wheelchair row where we could park the stroller. The theater, by the way, was crowded and we were lucky to get it. Then we waited through the endless movie commercials and previews for the movie to start. My husband kept whispering, "WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO GET TO THE MOVIE?? DON'T THEY KNOW WE HAVE LIMITED TIME!" ha! Not to mention that during this time, several people were trying to cross the wheelchair aisle and kept bumping into his stroller (even though it was out of the way). At one point, someone tried to use the handles for leverage in the dark theater. We were just cringing in our seats waiting for our blissful moment to be interrupted by Nate's crying. But he was still conked out.

Finally the movie started and we really enjoyed it. Nate slept through most of it, waking during the last 45 min. He woke up quietly and chewed on his panda for awhile, occasionally stealing a glimpse of the screen behind his stroller. About 20min. to the end, he wanted out of the stroller so we put down his blanket with his toys. Unfortunately, he was too HAPPY and started talking to himself. It sounded like he was saying "I saw butts" over and over! We kept shushing him until finally I picked him up because he was getting louder. He stayed in dad's lap contently with his panda until the end of the movie. We were excited that we actually got to enjoy a movie without worrying about a sitter. So I guess Sunday afternoons for us are the key. Yea!!

2 comments:

Wendi and Benjamin Wood said...

How funny! You guys are a trip! Love your posts!

RamblingMother said...

Any time you can find moments without tears is wonderful. Glad you guys were able to pull it off.

Beverly