I was at the DMV with my sister-in-law last week. We were waiting for her number to be called so she could get her license. Just waiting. Katelyn waited with me. She filled her diaper. . . very full. It leaked out the top it was so full. Gross, I know. She got fussy, which I have learned means she is done filling it and would like a new diaper. I was sitting in the back row of chairs and decided to change the diaper on the floor. Her diapers don't stink regardless of how nasty they look. I still only breathe out of my mouth because it is gross, so I am pretty sure they don't stink. I know she didn't smell bad before the diaper change. So I was changing the diaper and had to change her clothes too because of the overflow. It was a very cute outfit, and the new one wasn't as cute so that is why she probably started crying. Her flower headband wasn't going to match her new outfit so I took that off. I think she really wanted to wear it anyways and so she told me that by crying louder. :) The lady sitting in front of us turned around and told me, "Don't worry, her crying is a lot louder for you than it is for the rest of us. Most people don't mind and know it is more embarrassing for you as a mom and we are all just thinking back to the days when we had a little baby to love and take care of. You really are the lucky one. Let me know if I can help you with anything."
She was really nice, and I would not have minded asking her for help, but I felt just fine changing her diaper and her clothes. I didn't ask for her help.
Not more than a minute later I now had a baby with a clean diaper and no clothes . . .and still crying. I had just put the new outfit over Katelyn's head and was starting to put her arms through the sleeves. A lady with a wild hair do which I was not sure if it was real or not, comes back and kneels down next to us and says, "I'm a grandma to four kiddos, I'll dress your baby." She picked up Katelyn off the ground and dressed her. I was not very happy. Not because Katelyn was still crying. Who was this lady? I couldn't stop looking at her. She reminded me of the lady from The Rescuers, Madame Medusa, except she had platinum blonde hair.
Not even kidding. . . this is too close of a match. After she dressed Katelyn, well she had one of the three buttons done up, I reached out and grabbed Katelyn back. As I was pulling her back, this lady continued to wrap the blanket around Katelyn which meant she awkwardly was situating the blanket between Katelyn and I. As I was holding Katelyn and snuggling her up to me and attempting to calm her down, the lady said, "my grandbabies called me and said 'Gromma, I'm hongray!' and your little girl sure is 'hongray'" (I spelled these words how they sounded, so just sound out the words and say them with teeth stained coffee breath and make up and hands like Madame Medusa and you will be surprised how weird this was. Promise.) The situation probably looked very close to the picture above. . . I was holding Katelyn turning her away from the real life Disney villian who felt the need to invade our personal space. My face probably looked identical to Penny's. I couldn't believe it.
I said, "Thanks for your help, could you throw this away?" and I handed her the soiled diaper. Luckily, that was all it took to get this lady to go away.
I stood there in the back of all the rows of seats at the DMV swaying back and forth, and Katelyn snuggled up safe and sound stopped crying. She was happy now. The nice lady sitting in front of me, turned around and looked very concerned and asked, "Are you okay?" I wasn't sure if I really was, but I said yes.
I stood there and rocked my baby to sleep. It didn't take long. She wasn't "hongray" she was just tired and uncomfortable with the mess she made. I would be too if I had a mess in my pants like that.
I stood there and realized there are lots of people different people out there. I encountered two very different ones that day. One of them felt that by telling me she was a grandma, that made me feel comfortable with her grabbing my baby. She was wrong about that one. I wouldn't have felt comfortable if she was a grandma to 100, she wasn't my baby's grandma, and I had no clue who she was. The other lady cared. She let me do my thing as the mom, and offered her assistance, if I wanted it, and checked up on me after the craziness was settled. Thinking of these two people made me tear up. First at how crazy that Madame Medusa lady was, and second for how caring the other lady was. I am honestly thankful for the latter.
So for all the grandmas out there, you are not entitled to handle every baby simply because you are a grandma. It doesn't work that way. Not for me and my baby, sorry. I know babies are cute, and mine is no exception. But I can dress her.
2 comments:
Haha! That's terrible. I think I would have started to cry with her! I had an experience at the grocery store with Kiely that made me kinda frustrated... not really with her TOO much... but with the people around. It was just one of those toddler tantrums at the grocery store. People love to make comments like, "Somebody's not happy!" or just stare. When I hear the comments, I want to just turn and say, "No really? You don't help the situation much..." But I just keep quiet and let her fight herself till she decides to quit. (There's not much else to do when you're in a crowded store with a cart full of food!) Then the lady that stared, I just wanted to turn and be like, "Have you ever seen a crying baby??" But, I guess I just need to work on my patience in that way... Oh well. I hope you don't encounter too many more Madame Medusas!
Really! Do they think we enjoying our babies crying? Yes of course. . . mom's love all the attention they can get however they have to get it right?!
People are funny and they don't realize that we are a million times more sensitive at that time too :)
I'm glad that I'm not the only one, but sorry you have to deal with crazies too :)
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