Mommy-Maddie Date

As I've previously stated, this past week has been a stressful one filled with whiny, clingy children. The kids just had a minor cold, but it was enough to cause extra crankiness and tantrums. Jackson had his share of disruptive behaviors, likely due to some restless nights. Amelia returned to her diva status, throwing her body wildly with one dramatic meltdown after another. Nothing was immune to Amelia's wrath--the parking lot, car seat, mall, kitchen floor, park, etc. James was mostly clingy and needed to snuggle, but he did a lot of hitting and throwing things.

It was Maddie who I felt so terrible about. She had the same runny nose and cough as the others, but she apparently handles sickness much better than her siblings. There were many times where Maddie was happily playing somewhere but we had to leave because her siblings were falling apart. There were times when I was singing or cuddling Maddie, but had to put her down and try to comfort someone else. Maddie came up to me frequently saying, "Amelia crying again." or "Jamie hit me." I felt like she was getting the short end of the stick all week.

I told Jesse that I wanted to take Maddie out for a special date. Jesse and I frequently give Jackson individual attention, but we almost never take James, Amelia, or Maddie on individual outings. I left Jesse alone with three screaming, jealous kids. I know with certainty it was an unpleasant morning for him because I dealt with it all week. 

Maddie and I sang together in the car. She sits behind Jackson's seat in the van, so I can never see her very well. It was fun to be able to see her, hear her well, and even reach back to tickle her at stop lights. 

Our first stop was A.C. Moore to pick out a craft. She loves coloring and drawing so much; I thought she would enjoy selecting a craft. She picked foam Easter eggs to decorate. The cashier and other customers kept smiling and talking to her.

Maddie was persistent about carrying her bag of crafts, even though the bag was so big she dragged it on the ground. We walked next door to Petco to "see meow meow". There were several dogs up for adoption. Maddie was overwhelmed with the loud barking and crowd of people, so we kept our visit short.

My plan was to eat lunch at Denny's and decorate our foam eggs while we waited for the food to arrive. We parked and walked inside. Maddie proudly carried her package of crafts and smiled and waved at everyone. Unfortunately, there was a 30 minute wait at Denny's. I carried Maddie back to the car, explaining we were going to go somewhere else to eat instead. She said, "Whyyy? I want to eat. I want color." My pitiful, sweet girl! Within a mere five minutes we were seated at the neighboring Steak and Shake, waiting to order.

I was such a proud mom. Maddie is very sweet, cute, and mild mannered. She naturally attracts attention. Strangers around us smiled and waved.

Our final stop was to Walmart for grocery shopping. This was out of necessity rather than entertainment, but Maddie was happy. In fact, she seemed truly elated over putting milk and apple juice in the cart. She clapped and said, "I want milk! I want milk!" (Maddie would drink nothing but milk all day long if I let her.)

I had so much fun with my Maddie Moo. I've been walking around feeling completely defeated lately, but yesterday I had a few hours of carefree, joyful time with my baby girl. It was much needed quality time for both of us. I forgot to take a picture of us yesterday, so I snapped one this afternoon.

Let's hope we have an easier week and each of the kids are given time to feel special!