MOMS Night Out

This was a twofer day for the MOMS Club. Not only did we have the children's museum this morning, but tonight was MOMS Night Out - karaoke at a local bar.

The karaoke didn't start until 9 pm, so I've been plotting and calculating and planning all month to figure out how we could manage for Peeper to be awake and happy until we got home.

(Asleep while we were gone wasn't an option, because she would be likely to wake up at some point, and if I weren't there, it would be ugly.)

The museum trip this morning was actually crucial to the plan, because it got her up earlier than usual, and gave her an opportunity she couldn't resist, for an early but short nap on the drive home, which ended up being 1:00 - 1:30 pm.

We then spent the afternoon ignoring her yawns and keeping her moving.

She and I played in the backyard while Shrike napped, then we all went for a walk with the dogs.

Finally, around 5 pm, I figured it was okay to let her nap, so we got in bed, nursed and . . . up she popped, ready to go some more!

This happened a few more times over the next hour and a half, and we decided to change our strategy.

We all got dressed for the evening, loaded up in the car at 7 pm and just started driving.

We got on the interstate and drove to Exit Us-12miles, where we got off and drove through an Arby's for some dinner.

Then back onto the interstate, heading the opposite direction, to Exit Us+22miles, at which point we turned around and headed back down to Shrike's parents' house, which is off Exit Us+3miles.

Yep.

And hour and a half - sixty five miles - of driving so the kid would nap enough for us to go out to karaoke.

Did I mention that we really needed a night out?

When we got to her parents, I tried to get Peeper to nurse in the car, before she went in and got all distracted by toys and pretty lights and grandparents, but she was mostly just dozing back off.

She nursed a tiny bit after we got there, but was much more interested in playing, so I just crossed my fingers that she was good and tanked up for the evening.

(It had now been two hours since our last really good session, before the drive.)

She wasn't too keen on us leaving, but Shrike's dad thought to give her a ride in her little car (it's great, it's got a push-handle for an adult, which can later be removed - along with the floor board - for Peeper to Fred Flinstone it herself.) so she got all set up in it and we waved goodbye as she drove off (through the dining room into the kitchen) and then left.

(After several rounds of hugs and kisses and bye-byes. I am adamantly against sneaking off without her knowing. The only person that's easier on is the one leaving. It's not fair to the caretaker who's left to pick up the pieces when the kid notices, and it's certainly not fair to the kid, and is counterproductive, because he learns that "My parents can disappear for long periods of time with absolutely no warning. I'd better not let them out of my sight!")

But I digress.

Anyway, after much "If we get to go..."ing, we actually made it to the bar, along with about eight other MOMS Club moms, and we had a great time.

I nursed a glass of wine all evening, Shrike had a couple of beers, we cheered on our friends and strangers alike, we danced, and toward the end of the evening, we even made it to the mic ourselves, and sang "Mercedes Benz" by Janis Joplin.

We kept checking our phones, amazed that we'd not heard from her parents yet, telling us that Peeper was ready for us to come home.

Ten o'clock, ten thirty, eleven, eleven thirty . . .

Then, I saw a red light start flashing on Shrike's phone (which was sitting on the table), I picked it up and saw "6 Missed Alerts . . . Dad . . . ."

She ran for the front door to listen to the voice mail, and I grabbed our coats, shouted "SIX MISSED CALLS! BYE!" and ran for the back door (that we'd come in through) - just as my phone rang, and caller ID said it was her dad.

I answered the call and shouted to him over the music, "We're on our way! Hang on, I can't hear you!"

Once I was outside, I apologized and told him that I we'd just gotten the message, and we must not have had good cell reception, but that we were on the way, and oh God, how long has it been?

He said she'd just started losing it, but I could hear her crying in the back ground.

I couldn't find Shrike (didn't know she'd gone out front) so I called her cell and told her I was at the car, let's go!

When we got there, Peeper had stopped crying, and was getting her diaper changed, but was definitely glad to see us, and glad to have some goody.

Shrike parents said that they'd only called the one time, and we couldn't find any other missed calls on her phone from tonight, so I don't know what the six missed alerts were, but they sure got our attention!

Peeper was still pretty whiney, and definitely sleepy (As were Shrike's parents, I'm sure. It was way past their bedtime.) so we didn't stick around to visit very long.

She nursed all the way home (much trickier in this new, big carseat, but it can be done in a pinch) and fell asleep about the time we pulled out of the driveway.

Of course, that ten minute nap meant that, although she was happy to lie in bed and nurse the other side just as enthusiastically, she was not actually going to go to sleep for another hour.

Of course, she's been down for an hour and a half now, and here I sit, blogging about it, instead of sleeping.

(Dumbass.)

It was a little touch-and-go there, but well worth all our naptime machinations, because we had such a great time!