First Shoes

My very dear and very pregnant friend, Melody, came over today for lunch and a visit with the monkeys.  After lunch, I asked if she wanted to come with me to pick out the girls' very first pair of shoes.  She was happy to come along on the adventure, and I was grateful for the extra pair of hands.  It seemed like a simple enough errand for the 4.8 of us to tackle and we assumed we would be back well before nap time.  You know what they say about assuming...

A full hour into this little escapade, our girls have been measured by four different employees and are now prepared to take their first steps and concur the Boston Marathon.  I look over at poor Mel to see her juggling Reese and her baby bump awkwardly talking to a woman who is juggling her own breasts and running down the long lists of body parts that never returned to normal after the birth of her only child 38 years ago.  Time to leave. 

So, we pack up the babes and their fancy new shoes and we set off for home. 

In the parking lot is a panicked mother, a screaming toddler and a screaming older child.  The poor lady lost her balance getting the tot out of his car seat and they all took a tumble.  The mother is frantically asking about a doctor's office and I offer to walk them across the street to the pediatricians office to get the boy's noggin checked.  The older child is in full blown hysterics because she has somehow translated this collaboration as an attempt to put her little brother up for adoption(??).  

And then the clouds parted, and the angels sang, and I got a tap on the shoulder from...Dr. Molly!  She saw me tangled in the chaos from across the parking lot and offered to help.  Needless to say the stellar combination of lollypops from the shoe store, and the expertise of Dr. Molly saved the day.   

We leave the crazy situation and I offer to by poor Mel a round of Frozen Yogurt.  She accepts and says "You know, I'm just glad I was hear to witness all that.  I don't think I would have believed you if you had told me the story."  

And that is how the girls got their first pair of shoes.