Butterfly

I am an introvert and so is Millie's dad. So it's a real walk on the wild side whenever we leave the house with Millie. Somehow, despite her parents, she is an extrovert, a real social butterfly. This is what it was like for me to take her out on Friday:

Stop 1- The Public Library for story time.
Millie walked into the story time room and past all the kids and parents sitting obediently on the carpet in front of the librarian and over to the stack of folding chairs in the corner.
Millie: C'mon mom. Let's get one of the chairs.(I should mention that NONE of this is at whisper volume).
Mommy: No, Millie. Let's leave those alone and sit with the other kids on the carpet.
Millie: No, I want one of the chairs.
Mommy: Millie, you can stay if you sit on the carpet or we can go to the other room (the main library kids section).
Millie: (quietly weighing the options).
Mommy: Do you want to try sitting on my lap?
Millie: Yes.
So we sit for all of 2 minutes then she decides this story time thing is too slow.
Millie: Let's go to the other room Mommy.
Mommy: OK- let's go. (I start walking towards the door. At the door I turn around to find Millie talking to one of the other little girls in the middle of the room.)
Millie: Hey! We're going to the other room- WANNA COME? It's FUN!
Mommy: (Running back and trying to avoid all the awkward glances from the other parents. Like, "Would you please come collect your child?") C'mon Millie- she wants to stay here. Let's go. (I grab her hand and we go.)

In the other room is a computer table with two kiddie sized computers. There is a little boy sitting at one. She strides up to him:
Millie: What are you doing?
Boy: I'm on the compuder.
Millie: You're doing a GOOD job. You're a GOOD boy!
Boy: You can sit here (pointing at the other chair) and I will sit here and we can do compuder.
Millie: OK!

Then they both became absorbed and engaged in trying to figure out how to use a mouse and engage with the toddler games on the screen. When it was time to go, I told Millie we had to check out all the books we had chosen. She was running around but I just couldn't see where she was. So I finally picked her up and put her on the counter while I checked out. She was ok for 2 minutes but then said, "C'mon mom. I don't wan to be here ALL DAY." Excuuuse me, yeesh, these pint-sized dictators. I told her we needed to be patient- which she was for the last minute until we were done.

Stop 2- The Grocery Store.
At the grocery store she actually sat in the cart but she chatted with the lady offering free bread samples. She got two slices and then kept talking about how she ate two loaves of bread in the store. Then in the canned goods aisle she commented loudly,
Millie: Woah- look at that guy on the LADDER. What's he DOing?
Mommy: He's putting things on the shelf.
Millie: Wow, he's working hard! (Waving to the guy) Hi!! (The guy does not wave back) He's too BUSY working HARD Mommy.
Mommy: Yes, he is. Well we're all done here. Let's leave him alone so he can work.
Millie: OK.
Before we left she explained a few of the things in our cart to the guy behind us at the checkout line. Then told him to have a nice day.

Stop 3-- The Discount Home Goods store next to the Grocery store.
Mommy: Millie you were so good at the grocery store, you can have a prize now.
Millie: A book!
Mommy: Yes, a book- any one you want (the books at this store are all under $5).
Millie: (Striding into the store) Wow. I just LOVE books!
Mommy: Yes, me too.
I started wondering if this store had a toy section that might give her incentive for potty training. We're struggling with that one a bit. She found a princess toy set with a Cinderella, a horse, and a carriage all for under $10 bucks total. I figured I'd give her each piece separately for each potty training achievement. She was so excited carrying it to the counter. At checkout she was talking with the guy behind us in line...
Millie: I got a princess and a horse and a ca-wiage.
Guy: Really? That's good.
Millie: The horse is FUN! It says NEIGH and it goes gallop-a-trot gallop-a-trot (galloping to demonstrate).
Cashier: She's a happy little thing isn't she?
Mommy: Yes, she is. Lot's of energy. OK Millie, Let's go.
Millie: (To all her fans at the cash register) BYE (with a great big wave)!

All I'm saying is, if it weren't for Millie, I would have gone to the library, the grocery store, and the discount dollar store and completed my transactions without having met all these characters. Not Millie-- she's here to take it all on and bring everyone along for the ride. ("C'MON IT'S FUN!")I honestly feel like she's on a great adventure and it is our great privilege to be selected for a front row seat.