Scaring pregnant women

Today, I accidentally scared a poor pregnant woman. It happened in Babies R Us...probably the least likely place to scare a pregnant woman. Everything there makes this baby thing look easy and pretty and wonderfully cute.

Enter me.

We have seen a new side of Micah over the last few weeks. It's this stubborn child who can will his mouth shut at the mere glimpse of anything other then boob or bottle. We have made numerous attempts to get him to eat cereal or bananas. Tonight, he finally barely parted his lips enough to squeeze some of the spoon in his mouth.

We found out yesterday that he has an ear infection. So now, we must give him an antibiotic. Yesterday we would squeeze a little medicine and stuff the pacifier in his mouth so he would swallow.

So I go to Babies R Us in search of the pacifier medicine dropper. I am convinced this will make my dreams come true. This will be the best invention known to mothers.

I can't find it.

I'm looking at the medicine droppers. Not there. I look with pacifiers. Not there either. Then I hear this voice on the other side of the aisle saying, "How do I know what nasal aspirator to choose?"

I walk around to see a pregnant lady with the coveted registry gun. She is there with her sister in law (I think) and her mom. I spot the pacifier I want, but they are blocking it. So I wait, but finally say, "excuse me" and reach for it.

The pregnant lady says, "what is that?" Now, I don't want to scare her, so I explain I have a cute little bundle at home who just really likes his pacifier so hopefully this will help him.

"It sure did not help mine." says her sister in law.

"Really?" I say, now very discouraged and forgetting about prego girl.

"Well, what did you do?" Says the mom. "Yes, do you have any suggestions?" I said.

"I don't think I should tell you." She says.

I'm desperate. "PLEASE..." I'm now begging.

"well, you see, we tried the paci, he spit it out. We tried everything. So, well, my son was about nine months... my husband almost sat on him, then I cradled his head under my armpit, we pushed the dropper as far back in his mouth as possible, kinda like a dog, because if you get it back far enough, the have to swallow...we kept trying to put it in his bottle, but the hole wasn't wide enough...if only they made a bottle medicine dispenser."

Then our eyes looked back at the isle and we both saw it. The bottle dispenser. We rejoiced together over our find. We discussed how I would buy both, because every child is different and maybe mine would like the paci. We talked about how hard sick kids are and how you just never know if your choosing the right thing.

Then, our eyes looked in the same direction again. Back at prego. She didn't look quite so excited. She was rubbing her belly and seemed to be in some far away place. Probably the happy place her lamaze coach told her to go when things get hard.

I let her stay in that happy place....she'll learn soon enough...happy land has a population of two.

The girl in labor and her anesthesiologist.

Some things are better discovered on your own.