Our little trip with the baby

Even though she is eight months old and we've been baby-sitting her off and on for about six months, we haven't really taken to the roads with her except for a couple of really quick trips to Walmart.  And she was asleep during those, so Cliff stayed in the car while I shopped.  

Today was the day our Social Security showed up in the checking account, so I told Cliff last night that we were going to do some shopping today.  

"With the baby here?" he asked.  

You know how that whole thing went, from the previous entry.  I had several stops we needed to make, but they were quick stops:  A stop by the bank for cash, two or three things from Sam's Club, a couple of items at Costco, and a few groceries at Walmart.  

Little Princess slept through the banking, but was awake at the next stop, Sam's Club.  Cliff said he'd stay in the car with her.  

"No," I told him.  "She will love looking around at the people and things in there, and people will admire her and it will be great."  

"But the germs..." he said.  To which I answered, "Germs are everywhere.  She'll be fine."  

Cliff was amazed at how content and happy the baby was, sitting in the cart and watching the world go by.  She's a good little shopper.  

By the time we were done with Sam's and Costco, it was almost 11 o'clock, time for Burger King to start serving lunch.  And I just happened to have a ticket for a free Whopper.  So I suggested we stop there.  Cliff asked if we were going in, or picking it up at the drive-up window.  

"Going in," I said.  "They have high chairs and the baby can do more people-watching while we eat."  

"The high chairs are nasty," he grumbled.  "Germs!!!"  

Funny to me he never worried about our own kids dying from germs everyplace we went.  Anyway, she did just fine once again, with old ladies smiling at her and asking her age.  She was happy and smiling while we ate.  When we do it again, though, I will make sure to have some of those baby snacks her mom buys her, so she can eat something while we're eating.  

Last stop was Walmart, where the little shopper's spirits never wavered.  The only time she got a little grumpy was on our way home, and that's because she was getting hungry.  

This isn't going to be a weekly thing.  More like monthly, I'd say.  We do have three days each week when she isn't here; that's when we will usually do our shopping.  But at least Cliff found out shopping with an eight-month-old beauty queen can be fun.  And you meet so many nice people!  

Cliff had to hold her crown on; it was way too big.

She didn't get any French fries (except that Cliff let her suck the salt off the ends of a couple of his) or a Whopper.  But she did enjoy Burger King.