I decided to be brave today. Do a little shopping and get some lunch with all three boys. Just me and my boys.
I did the shopping but purchased nothing. The boys did fine.
Then lunch.
We pulled up to the restaurant. Only one handicap space for the entire place and it was taken. I am not good at parking our Denali and leaving enough space to get Brayden in and out, attached to his feeding pump, and into his wheelchair.
Did I mention how cold it is here? The wind chill?
I parked the car and we unloaded. We headed to the front door. Carter and Luke used all their muscles to pull open the giant doors of the restaurant. They were helpful. The young hostess inside was not. She was just watching us as we struggled to prop the doors open and get Brayden inside. Apparently it did not occur to her to help.
She took us to our table. The tables were so close together that there was no way for Brayden's chair to fit. So we just took over the table next to us.
I had to go to the bathroom. How can I go the bathroom with three little boys, one of which is in a wheelchair, in a restaurant?
I did not go.
But guess who did. Brayden. He was grunting like a champ. Then came the smell. He gets a little rowdy when he has a dirty diaper. He gets loud because he wants us to know.
I cannot change him in the bathroom. He is too big for the changing table and...well those things give me the creeps. Changing him in the trunk of our SUV is possible but not when I would have to take all three boys outside just to change him.
Did I mention how cold it is here? The wind chill?
Needless to say, we ate fast (I changed Brayden at home...I know, terrible).
While we were eating a couple (assuming they did not have children) were going to be seated right by us. The hostess started to seat them. The gentleman looked directly at our table and asked to be seated somewhere else. The hostess pointed them to the booth on the other side of us, he said no. They sat somewhere on the other side of the restaurant.
Was it the smell or the noise?
We left the restaurant but it was more like an obstacle course. The place had gotten a bit more busy. I took out some people's chairs on the way out and some toddlers in the highchairs.
We made it home.
Next time, I will do take out.
4 comments:
You are a brave woman, Carrie! Well done accomplishing shopping and lunch out with the boys. BOO for the couple who didn't want to be seated by you.
Hats off to you for trying...I bet your boys appreciated it.
Kudos to you for giving it a shot. I say try again someday - don't give up. You do so much with Brayden and the boys. It is not easy, but it is worth it for you and for them.
I am saddened by the hostess and her lack of help. And the couple that didn't want to sit near you. : P
I feel your pain! Life simply can't stop, just because you have a special needs child! Plus, our other boys and even us need to get out too, even though it can be very difficult!
I refuse to let "our life since Gavin" take over everything! I have to tell my other boys "No" to lots of things, so if I'm capable of doing something for some fun for them, even if it turns out to be an emotional and physical mess for me, I'm going to try my hardest to do it!
So far, I'm blessed because although Gavin is 3 years old, he is still quite small, so I'm still able to change his diaper in his stroller, which lays completely flat. I do worry and wonder what I will do when he is bigger though! And, usually the back of the van works great, but definitely not in freezing temps!
How big/tall is Brayden? Another special needs Momma turned me on to the Mutsy stroller. It has been such a blessing to us! It's larger than most strollers and it has a lot of great features. I haven't had to use Gavin's wheelchair yet, because this stroller works great so far! It was expensive, but worth EVERY penny! If you are interested in checking these strollers out go to mutsy.com
The friend that I told you about is selling hers, because her daughter is getting too tall for it. You can check out her blog at:
www.grippingmysaviorsmercyandgrace.blogspot.com
She has pictures of it on there.
Keep fighting for some normalcy! Sorry your day out wasn't easy, but I'm quite sure it made your other boys happy! Love and Hugs!!!
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