Sorry I haven't been around to respond to your comments in a timely fashion, but I was out with the girls yesterday, specifically my mom and sister, April (my other sister, Lori, couldn't make it; hopefully she can go next time). We took Hayden out for her first official shopping excursion.Now, when I say official, I'm talking about an entire day out and about with the girls, including a trip to the mall. This is where we'd find out if she actually possessed the so-called female shopping gene (Jacob doesn't like to shop; maybe it really is a girl thing).
Hayden started the day off right, playing dress up for the event. Doesn't she look like a living doll?
She was, in fact, a perfect angel the whole day, as she took in all the sights and sounds. Her wide eyes peeked out on her blanket-covered car seat, while I wheeled her around Trader Joe's. It was like she was already trying to decide what she'd like to eat in the future (she totally takes after me).
Then, on to the mall, where I have to applaud Nordstrom for its discrete and cozy ladies' lounge areas. They are perfect for sneaking in a breastfeeding session or two (we did utilize the facility more than once).Hayden got to ride in her stroller, something she hasn't done much lately, due to the extremely cold weather. She was all smiles, as you can see in these pics. April had just asked her what she thought of the place.
Her favorite part of the trip was probably the fact that we kept moving, and when we did stop (like for lunch at Chipotle, which offers a lot of vegan options on its menu; April was commenting on how many of her veg friends eat there on a regular basis), she either took a cat nap or flirted with the store clerks.
I don't frequent the mall much these days, but opted to go after receiving a gift card from there for Christmas. With it, I treated myself to some loose tea from Teavana to brew in a glass tea pot my mom got me. I really enjoyed smelling and tasting the different varieties (the aromas are amazing; I could just live in one of those tea tins), finally deciding on Imperial Acai Blueberry (a flavored white tea) and Haute Chocolate (a decadent Rooibos) to take home in a tin, and a cup of Tiramisu Treviso (an even more decadent Rooibos) to sip on our trip.I went on to purchase a few other frivolous items (I've stuck to the necessities since being home from work, so it was nice to have a little "fun money"), and ended up picking out some clothes for little lady, too. I love buying girl clothes.
The last stop was Whole Foods, where we had originally planned on having lunch. At this point, it was getting late in the day, so it was a good thing we grabbed a bite at the mall.
It was a mad dash to get what I needed, mainly some hemp products I can't get at the regular grocery store. I also grabbed up some Vega bars for when I'm on the run, and this already prepared raw Mock Curry "Chicken" Salad for dinner last night (by the time I got home, I was happy to just chop up some fresh produce in a big bowl and top it with this stuff).I had hoped to have time to flip through my new copy of VegNews (my subscription ran out, so my mom purchased a copy for me at the check out counter), while I ate my salad. But, as it was a school night, it remained untouched. I spent the rest of my evening playing mom; packing Jacob's lunch, helping him with his homework, giving him a bath and making sure everyone got to bed on time.
At least Hayden was so worn out (as the title suggests, she "enjoyed being a girl" - I was assigned that song in my high school musical theater class years ago, so it kept popping into my head) that she slept through the night :-)
