Our First Outing Without Hubby

   Wow, it went very well! I even made a couple of stops I really didn't have to make because I wanted to simulate a "real" shopping day. Andrew had his two week appointment yesterday and Lee couldn't get off so I just made the appointment really early so Lee could go with us. I prefer not to do doctor visits alone unless I have to. I planned on dropping him off at work afterward and keeping the car. Andrew is doing great! He's gained just over a pound in two weeks! I told you he ate all of the time... :). The pediatrician put a little something on his belly button to try to stop the oozing and bleeding that was still going on, even with the umbilical cord having come off. It seems to have worked, what a relief! I only got one comment that could be taken as rude in regard to the number of children in my "entourage" and it was only in her tone. "Wow", she said with *that* tone that makes you envision a wrinkled nose, "you only need about ten more". Quite to the contrary I was stopped even more than usual with positive comments and now there is a whole new category of people stopping us because we "finally got a boy?!", they are so thrilled for us ;). We stopped to eat and had to leave before I was done so I could go feed the baby. He was screaming as we went out the door and one of the cashiers congratulated me on our new boy and literally everybody in the restaurant (there were only about four other groups of people) added their congratulations, that was a tad embarrassing. Later we stopped at the grocery store. I had put Bethani in the cart and meant to put the baby in his sling but I forgot it in the van so I ended up holding him most of the time and steering one handed, if I had realized how cramped my arm was going to get I probably would have gone right back out to get the sling...live and learn. Anyway, it was, of course, raining yesterday, so I was carting four little ones in and out of the rain all day. On our way out of the grocery store an older gentleman stopped and asked us how far away we were parked, he was going to drive us to our car if it was very far. When I told him we were just about there he said, "You have a beautiful family Miss.", and he clapped. It was so cute and gave me that extra burst of energy to...get home :). I was pretty tired by that time and Andrew was long overdue for an unhurried feeding. He's not a snacker. We had to go back later to pick up Lee, and Andrew once again cried nearly the whole way there because he wanted to nurse (I did feed him before we left!). But on the whole, we survived and I am confident in my abilities to do it again, not that I would have had much choice otherwise... ;).