3 Reasons We Will Wait to Eat in Restaurants
Dear Marshall and
Maggie,
One of your daddy's favorite things to do is go out to eat. When we lived in Champaign, we constantly smelled food, so his go-to when it came dinner time was "Let's go somewhere." If we would have bought stock in Buffalo Wild Wings, and your college would have been paid for!
And it was so easy to go out back then, so easy that we took it for granted. We didn't have to pack a bag, we didn't have to coordinate nap times, it was quite the enjoyable experience.
Since you have been born, we have learned the hard way that we won't be going out to dinner any time soon if we wish to keep any shred of sanity, and I'm about to let you in on three reasons why:
1. Table Etiquette. You both have none. Period. I know you will know your
manners one day (or you can fear being thumped with a fork. Ask your Grammy or
Great-Aunt Linda about that), but that day is not today or in the foreseeable
future.
One time when Mommy was pregnant, we went to Reifschneider's in Freeburg. Marshall was really into feeding himself, although he was terrible at it. He grabbed fistfuls of food and squeezed it or just threw it directly on the ground. In the rare occasion he did make it to his mouth, there was no guarantee it would stay there. He was real big on blowing bubbles (and food chunks) when he had a mouthful!
Not to mention, he is incredibly loud. He just liked yelling to hear his own voice, and Maggie is the same way. Your daddy is the same way. Luckily, Reifshneider's is a bar and grill which comes with its own set of pros and cons. The pro being that your baby's yells will unnoticed with the normal noise of the bar, but the HUGE con being that you have your baby in a bar. So we made it through appetizers before we got our check and our entrees in to-go boxes. We ended up eating in a parking lot after Marshall fell asleep on the ride home.
2. Restaurants are ill-equipped for babies/toddlers.
Last summer we went to Champaign for a baby shower, and I have to give props to Marshall for being such a trooper. It was a six hour road trip and he was barely one year old. He handled it like a boss... Until it came time to eat dinner. It was probably from being cooped up all day, but as soon as we were seated at a Champaign-area pizza chain called Monical's, Marshall could not be contained. I generally think of the high chair as a sort of saving grace. You kids are excited to get in there because you know food is coming, and it has straps so you are stuck in one place until I decide to let you out. Unfortunately for us, most restaurants have high chairs that have been a little roughed up and don't have working straps anymore. Marshall was climbing all over the table top, trying to jump the sides of the booth, and yelling at everyone that walked by. I think the reason we never seen the server had more to do with the fact that they were super busy, and not the fact that no one wanted to wait on us and our wild man. We ended up leaving, ordering food to go at the next Monical's down the interstate, and eating in the bed of the truck.
3. Poop.
More restaurants than you would think are ill-prepared to change a dirty diaper, and I am just talking about the women's rooms. A diaper changing station in the men's room is still nonexistent, and I am all about gender equality! There was one time I was eating at a Mexican restaurant with Grandma and Aunt Jen when I had the bright idea to give Maggie a quick diaper change, table-side. There was no changing station, and she was just wet... until I took that diaper off and the cold air hit your bottom. Mommy's jeans and Maggie were covered in poo before it was over. Another time, we went to see Marshall's godfather in Denver and stopped for dinner at a local place. We weren't there ten minutes before Marshall filled his diaper, and your daddy had to take him to the boys room to clean up. Unfortunately, Marshall had filled more than just his diaper, so Daddy had to throw all of his clothes into the trash can. We left with a naked baby and food in to-go containers we are back at Adan's apartment.
As you kids are getting older, going out to eat remains a challenge. If you haven't sensed a pattern in this story, it is just go ahead and order your food to-go or Mommy and Daddy go out for Date Night while you guys wait at home with Grammy and Granddad or your cousin, Ally. Maybe we will try family dinners out again on Maggie's 18th birthday. Maybe.
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Mommy
One of your daddy's favorite things to do is go out to eat. When we lived in Champaign, we constantly smelled food, so his go-to when it came dinner time was "Let's go somewhere." If we would have bought stock in Buffalo Wild Wings, and your college would have been paid for!
And it was so easy to go out back then, so easy that we took it for granted. We didn't have to pack a bag, we didn't have to coordinate nap times, it was quite the enjoyable experience.
Since you have been born, we have learned the hard way that we won't be going out to dinner any time soon if we wish to keep any shred of sanity, and I'm about to let you in on three reasons why:
One time when Mommy was pregnant, we went to Reifschneider's in Freeburg. Marshall was really into feeding himself, although he was terrible at it. He grabbed fistfuls of food and squeezed it or just threw it directly on the ground. In the rare occasion he did make it to his mouth, there was no guarantee it would stay there. He was real big on blowing bubbles (and food chunks) when he had a mouthful!
Not to mention, he is incredibly loud. He just liked yelling to hear his own voice, and Maggie is the same way. Your daddy is the same way. Luckily, Reifshneider's is a bar and grill which comes with its own set of pros and cons. The pro being that your baby's yells will unnoticed with the normal noise of the bar, but the HUGE con being that you have your baby in a bar. So we made it through appetizers before we got our check and our entrees in to-go boxes. We ended up eating in a parking lot after Marshall fell asleep on the ride home.
2. Restaurants are ill-equipped for babies/toddlers.
Last summer we went to Champaign for a baby shower, and I have to give props to Marshall for being such a trooper. It was a six hour road trip and he was barely one year old. He handled it like a boss... Until it came time to eat dinner. It was probably from being cooped up all day, but as soon as we were seated at a Champaign-area pizza chain called Monical's, Marshall could not be contained. I generally think of the high chair as a sort of saving grace. You kids are excited to get in there because you know food is coming, and it has straps so you are stuck in one place until I decide to let you out. Unfortunately for us, most restaurants have high chairs that have been a little roughed up and don't have working straps anymore. Marshall was climbing all over the table top, trying to jump the sides of the booth, and yelling at everyone that walked by. I think the reason we never seen the server had more to do with the fact that they were super busy, and not the fact that no one wanted to wait on us and our wild man. We ended up leaving, ordering food to go at the next Monical's down the interstate, and eating in the bed of the truck.
3. Poop.
More restaurants than you would think are ill-prepared to change a dirty diaper, and I am just talking about the women's rooms. A diaper changing station in the men's room is still nonexistent, and I am all about gender equality! There was one time I was eating at a Mexican restaurant with Grandma and Aunt Jen when I had the bright idea to give Maggie a quick diaper change, table-side. There was no changing station, and she was just wet... until I took that diaper off and the cold air hit your bottom. Mommy's jeans and Maggie were covered in poo before it was over. Another time, we went to see Marshall's godfather in Denver and stopped for dinner at a local place. We weren't there ten minutes before Marshall filled his diaper, and your daddy had to take him to the boys room to clean up. Unfortunately, Marshall had filled more than just his diaper, so Daddy had to throw all of his clothes into the trash can. We left with a naked baby and food in to-go containers we are back at Adan's apartment.
As you kids are getting older, going out to eat remains a challenge. If you haven't sensed a pattern in this story, it is just go ahead and order your food to-go or Mommy and Daddy go out for Date Night while you guys wait at home with Grammy and Granddad or your cousin, Ally. Maybe we will try family dinners out again on Maggie's 18th birthday. Maybe.
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Mommy
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