Christmas Shopping

Another mall anxiety post, I know, it is clear I have a problem.  

When I was a teenager, living in a small and retail-y isolated  town, the highlight of the month was when the family piled into the big red van, drove 2.5 hours to the City and went shopping at WEM. (and Costco) (although I think my dad loved and still loves shopping more than all of us siblings put together!)   We often would go to the waterpark, and wander about the mall, see a dollar movie, spend my KFC paycheque on clothes.  Very fun times! 

Fast forward to 2012. 

My how things have changed.  I rarely if ever go the the monstropolis that is WEM.  Hard to find parking, so crowded, no money to spend on random things, one daughter who loves shopping as much as my dad and her Auntie Nunu do, and another who is a total spaz and often not fit for public outings.  Not to mention a baby whom I have only just started taking to the grocery store with me, let alone the the biggest mall in Canada.  Well today I had to go there, to pick up a very specific requested item.  Luckily the 2 big girls were in school, so I did not have to stress about that.  Here is what I did stress about: (oooh, an opportunity for a bullet list, my favourite!)

• Which baby carrier to use - must be hands free, easy/fast to put on, and be able to nurse in if necessary.  (the Boba fit the bill here)
• Which diaper bag - small.  How to pack the necessities, without overpacking.  Not as easy as you might think, as I use cloth diapers.  
• Where are all of the restrooms, in case my chronies strike and I need to go NOW...
• Working  it into the baby's eat/sleep schedule, which is not really set yet...
• The general anxiety of going to this mall in the first place, which normally gives me heart palpitations....

Well, things went great.   I found what I needed quickly, then I even found a mothers room to change Leia in. Bonus!  It was clean and private, and had a comfy chair to nurse in.  Not that I mind nursing in public, but it is so much nicer in a cushy chair and a quiet place, and it had a door, so that moms with toddlers as well would not have to worry about them running off while taking care of the baby... I did not go so far as to wander the mall window shopping, or eat at the foodcourt, but this small success today made me think that maybe I can do this mall thing afterall.