wigblog

Jess here…
One of my favorite things to do is shop. It doesn’t really matter what it is for. I don’t spend a lot of money though… I am really good at finding the best bargains. But, I love to shop. Maddie has some how picked up on this exciting passion of mine.

Whether Maddie is awake when I get up her in the morning or if I have to wake her up in the morning, the first words out of her mouth are, “We going today mommy?” This translates into, “Where are we going today, Mommy?” Not a “hello mommy… so nice to see you…. I love you…” None of that. She just wants to know where we are going. She even asks this question when she wakes up from her afternoon nap at 5pm when it is completely dark outside. She sometimes asks on her way to bed! When we do get to the place where we are going (it doesn’t really matter where it is… it could be store, someone’s house, gym class) she wants to know if we are going to another store. Some of her favorite stores are Michael’s, Target, Petsmart, and Party City… and of course any toy store she happens to see along the way. Her favorite department in ANY store is jewelry. She even knows where the jewelry departments are in the stores. I didn’t teach her that one.

The other day I was shopping at the Forum in Encinitas with my mom and Maddie. We had done a few errands first (Michael’s, Target, Sports Authority) and then it was time for lunch. Maddie told us, “I want a quesadilla from Webios”, otherwise known as Rubios. She was so persistant about going to Rubios. I didn’t want to go there and it was in the opposite direction from where we needed to go (the Forum). My choice was Panera, which Maddie knows as the bread restaurant. She didn’t want to go there. But then I told her that we get to go to another store after we have lunch at Panera. Boy, her tune changed so fast I had to turn away so she wouldn’t see me laughing. She was now SO excited to have lunch at Panera so that we could go to more stores afterwards.

Oh, and before we left the house, Maddie was playing with her jewelry. She picked out a big red and blue beaded necklace and matching bracelet to wear. She asked me if she could wear them for the day and I agreed. She wore them the ENTIRE day. She loves jewelry. And in the car she always asks for her sunglasses. This girl can accessorize!

After lunch we headed over to Bed Bath and Beyond, and while we where there my mom picked up this little clear bag that was filled with kids cooking items. In there was a smaller version of all the usual things… a wire whisk, a wooden spoon, muffin tin, apron, had, oven mitt, measuring spoons, etc. My mom bought it for the playhouse they have at their house. (My dad built this playhouse and it is amazing!). Well, Maddie held the bag the entire time in the store, and as soon as my mom purhcased it, it HAD to be opened. Maddie wanted to hold the wooden spoon. She held it then rest of the time walking around the Forum. You have to picture her. She has her hair pulled back in a pony tail with little curls coming out, she is wearing a chocolate brown blazer type jacket, has a beaded necklace and matching bracelet, and is carrying a wooden kitchen spoon. It was such a hilarious sight. She makes me smile every day.

Then, we were all done shopping and it was time to go home and take a nap. Maddie kept asking, “Another store?”. That is her way of asking if we are going to another store because she really wants to go. I kept telling her that we were all done shopping and that it was time go home. Then she said, “Maybe just one more store?” Oh my gosh! She really knows how to put her words together. I am not making this stufff up. I couldn’t hold it in any longer and just burst out laughing. I am so in trouble. She is quite the shopper. She kept saying that over and over until she realized she had lost the battle and we were, in fact, going home. Keep in mind that she has this cute, little girl, super squeaky voice and when she asks questions, her voice gets higher and higher. It is just so cute.

On a different shopping trip, the three of us (James, Maddie and myself) had gone to Target. We were looking at some of their Christmas decorations. Maddie touched about every single one. We kept telling her not to touch things, but she would touch an object while asking if she could touch it. If we said “no”, she would take her finger off the object, put it on a different object, and ask the same question. Does she realize she is already touching it by the time she asks us? Picture a child skipping merrily down an ornament aisle with both arms straight out touching the ornaments on both sides of the aisle, ornaments tinkling, a huge smile on her face, and a song in her heart. It wasn’t quite like that of course, but that is how I now picture it in my mind.

PS-Maddie’s favorite restaurant for dinner is Slooptation (Souplantation).