on target

In a different place and situation, I wouldn't think twice about running an errand to Target. Just put something warm on the boys, jump in the car, and in ten minutes we'd be pushing a red cart around the store as carefree as can be. While I'm grateful that I even have Target as a shopping option here in the city, I sometimes wish that my access to it was a little more, shall we say, suburban.

When I plan to make a trip to Target, there is much to consider: Do I bring the stroller or leave it at home? If I brought it, who do I let ride in it, and do I have the energy to haul it up and down subway stairs? If I leave it at home, will Garrett be in a cooperative enough mood to walk and will Caleb last the entire time in the Ergo? And speaking of time, do I have enough of that? Between the walk to the subway, the wait for the subway, the ride on the subway, and the walk to the store, it takes nearly an hour to get there (and it's only about 5 miles away). Add the shopping and the return trip, and we've got a good chunk of time away from the house that we need to be ready for. So then I ask myself, what components of the diaper bag are absolutely essential? Motherhood in Brooklyn has made me physically capable of lifting more than I ever dreamed I'd need to on a daily basis, but even so, I can only carry so much, especially when our purchases and the extra winter gear required for more time spent out in the cold are taken into consideration. And it's really hard to deal with crying, melting down children when you are laden down with too many bags.

At this point I often start to wonder if it's even worth it to go. But some necessity -- cheaper infant formula, usually -- returns my focus to the task at hand. And so I begin to mentally prepare myself.

I spent most of last weekend gearing myself up for a Monday trip to Target. I decided that going first thing in the morning would be the easiest. Because it would be during his morning nap time, Caleb would likely sleep for most of the outing, and Garrett, who is usually his best self during the first half of the day, would also likely be more cooperative. I also decided to attempt this trip without the stroller. I'd wear Caleb on my front and pack my backpack with as little as I could get away with (in this case: one diaper for each boy, some wipes, a bottle with water and some powdered formula for Caleb, a sippy cup with water and a small snack for Garrett, an extra treat (today it was Tic Tacs) for him just in case I needed to pull out all the stops, and a burp cloth. I also packed an extra cloth shopping bag to help me get our purchases home). It would take a little longer, but Garrett could walk alongside me and hold my hand while we traveled there and back; at the store he could ride in the cart. He also does better on the train when he gets to sit like a big boy on the seat rather than in the stroller.

Monday morning dawned sunny and dry (for once) and the boys woke up happy. Already it was a good day to attempt our trip to Target. We got ourselves ready, and left the house as soon as we were. Just as I'd hoped, Caleb fell quickly asleep and Garrett was a trooper. He held my hand, obeyed my instructions, kept his whining to and almost non-existent minimum, and charmed his fellow train passengers with mostly unintelligible chatter about "choo-choos." He was patient at the store, and I found almost everything on my list. He was so good that not only did I let him push all the elevator buttons, but I also got him a little treat for the ride home, which turned out to be a smart move on my part as those fruit snacks made that leg of the trip go much, much smoother. The only glitch we encountered was when Caleb woke up very unhappy as we were going through the registers. I almost stopped everything in order to feed him, but he ended up falling back asleep, which was how he stayed until we got home.

The success of this errand boosted my confidence so much that later that day, the three of us went grocery shopping. But that's a story for another day.