We took our first big family outing yesterday. It was a bit of an ambitious itinerary but I think we did okay. It was the first time we busted out the double stroller, and boy am I glad we went with the Phil & Ted. Even with the two kids on board it is as easy to maneuver as the BabyJogger. I'll try to take a picture soon and post it. (Speaking of pictures, Preston has posted some new ones at Picasa. Go check them out.)
First Stop: Shiel Laboratory. Madeline needed to have her blood drawn as a follow up to her 2-year check up (nothing is wrong -- this is just standard blood tests). This was AWFUL. It took both Preston and I to hold her down and she cried and screamed and carried on. The phlebotomist missed the vein the first time and had to go in again. Ugh. The whole thing was very upsetting for all involved.
Second Stop: Nick's Pizza. Because we knew the blood test was likely to be unpleasant at best and traumatic at worst we promised Maddie pizza afterward. She loves pizza. Because it was Christmas Eve the restaurant was pretty quiet and we had a nice lunch.
Third Stop: Barnes & Noble. We also promised Maddie a book. This was a practical decision, too. It's easy to breastfeed at B&N in the kid's section. No one bats an eye. So Sam had his lunch and Maddie got three new Dr. Seuss books (they were having a sale -- by two Dr. Seusses and get one free). She got "I Want to Be Someone New," "The Cat in the Hat" and "Horton Hears a Who." By the end she was pretty tired and started to melt down. She didn't want her coat on. She didn't want her BundleMe zipped up.
By the time we got home we were all exhausted. This is when you are soooooo glad you have turkey soup (or whatever) frozen and ready to become a quick dinner.