Receipts and fingers.

So, yesterday, we went to the store. Just Bug and me. I have two stories to share about the trip. Warning: LONG post coming your way. :)

First: Receipts

Bug loves receipts. Once we go through the line, pay the money and get our receipt, if we don't give it to him...2 year old tantrum, coming your way... He enjoys holding the receipt more then picking out a special snack that if I don't get, he will throw a fit. Hopefully he won't learn that trick...but I doubt it.

Yesterday, after he got his precious receipt and we walked outside (without him in the cart, cause I left it in the store since I didn't have much stuff to worry about...) he had one hand holding mine, and the other hand was holding the receipt to his heart. I thought it was kind of weird. Usually, he would just hold it in between thumb and fingers. Why all the sudden would he start holding it against his chest? I had no idea. Then I realized something and to explain it to you all I guess this post has three stories in it...

One day (not yesterday) we went out of Smith's, and Bug has his precious receipt clutched in his little hands. It was a big shopping day so I needed to take the cart to my car to get everything out and Bug was getting a free ride in it. That day just happened to be really windy. A big gust came swooping down and flew the receipt right out of his hands. I was upset thinking he did it on purpose, and thanks to my upbringing I chased it trying to catch up with it so I wasn't littering. I didn't even realize Bug's distress. I wanted to find a spot to put the cart with Bug in it so that I could chase it without that load. I couldn't. At our particular Smith's, it is pretty much down hill throughout the parking lot. I wasn't in the mood to be looked at strangely chasing after a receipt pushing a cart and might not even be able to get it cause I can't bend down while my hand is holding the cart while I run anyway. In any case, I gave up. Sorry Dad. There is one more piece of litter hanging around the earth. I just couldn't get it with my lonesome self. When Bug realized I gave up...well, he just pretty much had a fit. I left his receipt to let it fly north in the hopes that someone else would pick it up and put it in the trash. He was distraught. I told him sorry but that I just couldn't keep up with it. I was surprised just how much he was upset about this.

Bug must have an amazing memory to remember that one devastating instance where he lost his receipt, and now he holds onto it tighter. Interesting... I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I was in like...5 or 6 ensembles while I was pregnant with him, one of them being a Symphony Orchestra...

Second story: Fingers

Bug likes to help. He has been learning how to open doors and he loves to close them. After we arrived at Smith's, I went back there, unbuckled him, and got out of the car just like any other day. I made sure the doors were locked and then told Bug to help me close the door, and if he has the inclination to help, I'm going to cultivate it. As both our hands were on the door I had the sudden thought that it would be possible for him to slam his fingers in the door. I was distracted by the fact that I hadn't thought of it before. And as I was thinking on this, Bug closed the door and I pushed a little to help it close all the way. His little thumb was kind of wrapped around the edge of the door, but once again, I didn't listen to my first thought of slamming fingers, and figured he would move it in time. Yup, you guessed it... he slammed his little thumb in the door.

I flipped. I tried to open it, but realized that I had locked it and already put my keys back in my purse. As he screamed and wailed (all the while a guy was behind us in the next parking spot thinking who knows what) I fumbled with my keys and tried to get it open as fast as I could. I forgot that on my particular car, if you hold the key in the unlock position long enough, it will unlock all the doors. I didn't remember that. My son was screaming and I didn't want to wait one or two seconds longer to get a door open. Little did I remember that it would have been faster that way cause our driver's seat door doesn't lock or unlock all the doors unless the door is closed or if the handle is pulled out. So... I finally had my door open, but it wasn't the door where the problem lied. I think I might have even tried to open his door after I had mine unlocked but not his. I pulled the handle out on the driver's side door and flipped the switch to unlock all the doors. Then I hurried as fast as I could to get his open.

My first look at his thumb all I saw was a big mass of red. "Blood!" I thought. I picked him up and gave him a big hug as I headed up to the store away from the scene of the crime. As I was walking and trying to console him, I tried to get a good look at his thumb, but his head was between mine and his thumb. I knew he would want me to kiss it and eventually he did. By this time we were in the store but in that opening area where the carts are stored and he was only whimpering. Such a big boy. By that time as well he was starting to ask for kisses. When he wants kisses he usually just puts his face in yours or whatever he wants kissed. I quickly realized to get a good look at it, I would have to hold his hand still, and I did. He is fine. Thankfully it was only the fleshy part of the thumb that was caught. No knuckles. He did have a red mark on his thumb and some skin had come off, but there was no blood. Whew... a load off my mind.

I felt kind of bad about the whole thing so I did end up getting some cheese crackers shaped like "Cars" characters. Something we don't usually get. Anyway, that was our eventful day yesterday.