BA's Corner: Running Aarons

When I was little, I ran "Aarons" with my Mom. At least that's what I thought we were doing. Mom would always say, "Come on BA...we're going to run some errands." To me, it sounded like "run some Aarons," and it made perfect sense to me. I figured "Aarons" were things we did for the family...go to the post office, pick up dry cleaning, buy groceries, stop by the bank, etc. And I figured other families were out running "Smiths" or "Johnsons." Makes sense, right? Well, it did to me.

In any event, Leah and I ran some "Aarons" this weekend to give AA some solo time to study. Leah was a trouper, as usual. Unfortunately, I forgot toys. Stupid stupid stupid! All I could muster up (besides the never-leave-home-without-it pacifier) was a miniature flip book we had attached to the stroller a couple of days earlier. So when Leah got a little fidgety and was bored of the tiny, crinkly pages of her book, I gave her my phone to munch on. (No, I didn't tell her to munch on it, it's just that she munches on anything she can get her little baby paws on these days). That worked for a while.

All these toys, and you couldn't remember to bring just one???

The last "Aaron" was the grocery store. I hate the grocery store. Too many decisions, too many little cans and bottles of this and that in colorful packaging organized solely to maximize the store's profit rather than minimize the time I waste there. And, of course, too many people. I've got my list, and I've got my daughter..that's plenty for me to handle without searching up and down the aisles for a 4 oz can of green chiles while dodging every stranger who wants to put their grubby hands on Leah. Agh!

Leah must have felt the same way about the grocery store (and everyone wanting to be her best friend). About halfway through (meaning, we had circled through the store two or three times and had another two or three to go before I found 98% of everything on the list - enough to hit the road and tell AA I gave it my best), Leah decided she had had enough. Granted, 1 week earlier, same time, same place, Leah also had had enough and decided to throw up her lunch in the middle of the produce section. That's an "Aaron" I could have done without.

But yesterday, in the middle of the freezer section, she started melting. So I gave her a package of frozen P.F. Chang's Chicken Teriyaki Meals-for-2. My thinking was that between the crinkly wrapper, the colorful label, and the cold temperature, her little baby wheels would spin long enough for me to figure out where the Ranch seasoning was and get the heck out of dodge.

I should have skipped the seasoning. After a few minutes, she started fussing again. Here we go. The fussing got louder and louder. Okay, out of my way people...you don't want to see what's about to happen if you don't get out of my way. Louder. Louder. We're at the checkout counter. Louder. I'm unloading the cart as quickly as I can. Louder. The store manager comes over. "Oh, what a cute baby. Is it a boy or a girl?" Are you kidding me, buddy? Move on. Geez.

With the cart unloaded, I look at my daughter and realize the frozen P.F. Chang's has been resting against her leg! "No wonder you're crying...I'm giving you frostbite!" I felt so horrible. I rubbed her leg a bit, but it was still cold. What to do? I took the hot deli rotisserie chicken off the belt and held it to her thigh for a few seconds, quickly followed by these instructions to Leah - "Don't tell Mommy."

Dad, did you honestly put a rotisserie chicken on my leg? I'm so disappointed.