Shopping with Daddy

Last weekend Chris and I decided to spend the weekend just hanging out, something we have not done since we realized we were going to have to move to Dayton. But both of us desperately needed some down time so we indulged with lunch out and some light shopping. After soup and sandwiches at Panera, we meandered into Old Navy. As luck would have it, they were having a sale. We headed straight for the maternity and baby section to shop for the largest and smallest items the store had to offer.

We giggled over the ridiculous size of the tops and dresses I'm finding myself fitting into these days and bonded over the teeny little outfits our daughter will soon be wrestled into. "This is the first time we've done this," I said realizing that since we found out I was pregnant we had not had any time to enjoy preparing for this exciting change that was barreling our way. "I know," he said as he held up a onesie marked with a cartoon crustacean and the phrase, "Daddy's favorite shrimp." "It's kind of fun."

After piling ourselves with a mound of outfits, we headed for the fitting room so that I could try on my mommy gear. Old Navy has always been fairly accommodating in their fitting area with comfortable benches outside for people to sit and wait but this time, there was something new. Just outside the entry there was a long table set up with crayons and coloring books and a father and son looking to be very much in the zone of their artistic endeavors.

The father was meticulously coloring in the leaves of some prehistoric plant in a dinosaur coloring book while his son added the final touches to a monster truck. They were both bent over their projects, intensely focused on making masterpieces.

I smiled and turned to Chris, handing him all the cute pink little outfits and said, "Okay honey, you go color and be sure to play nice with the other daddies."

"Very funny," he said.

"Hey, don't knock it," said the dad, overhearing us. "It's fun. The last time I worked really hard on one but I didn't get to finish it. I hope at least this time I'll get to take this one home."

"Dad, hand me the red."
"Sure, buddy."
He was dead serious and apparently very proud of his work.
"Here, this is a good one," he said trying to hand a coloring book to Chris and offering him a place at the table.
"Uh, no thanks," Chris said as he threw the pink onesies over a rack of men's shirts and took a masculine stance. "I'll just wait for her to try her stuff on."
"Suit yourself," said the dad and went back to his goal of completing the picture before his wife came out of the fitting room.

I giggled about this until I tried on my first outfit and realized that he was not the only one to feel humbled and maybe a little embarrassed. My belly and my boobs pressed against the fabric of several tops and I looked like I was trying to shoplift produce. It really didn't seem fair that the little culprit causing this expansion gets to have a square foot of fabric when I have to suffer with three yards of it.

Anyway, our shopping trip was a fun bonding experience and a relief from the chaos of our lives. Afterwards we went to Borders to look at books of baby names. Since "Daddy's favorite shrimp" is obviously trademarked, we were going to have to come up with something else. Of course for now, and for a little while, it works. We like it anyway. She can be the shrimp and I'll be the whale. But only for now.