Lessons Learned

Yesterday was an educational day here at the zoo. Here are a few of the lessons I learned…

• Murphy's Law has not yet been rescinded. Lamb didn't want to wake up this morning (We had a HUGE weekend.), so we were running about 10 minutes behind schedule when Mr. Fantastic called to say I might want to leave a little bit early for school. (We carpool with a neighbor, and I drive in the mornings.) Apparently some work was being done on the railroad tracks today, and if you know where I live, you know that I pretty much can't go anywhere without crossing railroad tracks. As it turned out, the FOUR shortest routes to the school from our house were closed. We did make it to school on time, but I can't say we were as early as I would have liked. In the meantime, Lamb (in her sleep-deprived emotionally fragile state) had a complete meltdown at the door to the school over a toy that she traded with a friend last week. Gotta love the timing.
  
• Babies (and who knows, maybe it's just babies with fine motor delays) don't know to screw the tops on their own bottles. So if one were to hand a bottle with a loose ring on it to a baby… that baby is likely to just tip it up and try to drink it. Go figure.
  
• A friend in need is a friend indeed. I really dislike clichés, but this one was true for me today. A huge thank you to the TWO friends who volunteered to take Monkey for the morning, after I worried on Facebook about taking him with me to Roo's nutritionist appointment. I talked to the first friend who offered and worked it all out, and then it warmed my heart to see that someone else had offered too! Monkey had way more fun playing with his friend than he would have sitting in that tiny meeting room.
  
• Mr. Fantastic is a valuable asset at doctor's appointments. The nutritionist appointment went fine, but I could have used my logically-minded husband there to ask the questions that didn't pop into my mind until later. (And don't you ever tell him I said that—it'll go straight to his head. ;-) ) For instance, the nutritionist told me to aim for 600 calories a day for Roo. When I got home and did the math, I realized that he's already getting that many… and he's obviously not gaining enough… so how much should I increase it? I'll call her today and find out.
  
• Cops like McDonald's too. When I got close to home after Roo's appointment, I had forgotten about all of the road closures around my house… and then I forgot that I told Monkey I'd take him out to lunch… and then I missed a turn… and so somehow I was doing 60 MPH in a 50 MPH zone when I drove past a state trooper, who was pulled off to the side of the road. He pulled onto the road behind me, and I just knew that I was caught. I warned Monkey that I was going to need him to be quiet when the nice policeman was talking to Mommy, and I kept driving. I signaled that I was going to take the next exit, and so did he. I turned right at the end of the ramp, and so did he. I went straight through the next light, and so did he. My heart was POUNDING in my chest (which is just plain silly—why on earth do I get so sick at the thought of a speeding ticket, for goodness sake?), but still no lights on the police car. I signaled to turn right into McDonald's… and so did he. Could he really just be ready for a Double Cheeseburger? Is he debating about pulling over a Soccer Mom? What's going on? I ordered, paid, and pulled up to get my food… and they asked me to pull forward and wait. Noooooo… He wouldn't have told the person taking orders to have them make me wait so that he could give me a ticket, would he??? I pulled up and stopped. The police officer pulled up to the window and got a bag of food… and drove right past me without even looking over. I didn't realize that I had been holding my breath, but oh did I ever start breathing then…! I still think he had originally intended to pull me over. I wonder what changed his mind.
  
• Daddy Time trumps Bed Time, every time. Mr. Fantastic worked late last night, but he came home around 6:30 to grab some dinner and feed the chickens. (Ahhhh… the chickens…) He didn't know that I was putting the big kids to bed ridiculously early to make up for the fact that they hardly slept all weekend, so he asked them if they wanted to go out and feed the chickens with him. I debated about stepping in, but decided that it was more important that they spare me from having to take care of the chickens spend some time with Daddy than that they get to bed 15 minutes earlier. I'm glad that they could have that time together, and that they are so enjoying their new venture. (And truth be told, I'm happy about having fresh eggs. So far we've gotten 2 dozen!)
  

I think that's enough lessons for one day. And let's not forget the important lesson that Lamb feels the need to keep reminding me about: Keep the special plate away from the van.