Good intentions: We tried Making it to Church Today, We Really Did…

I woke up this morning with the best of intentions to attend church. Andre told me yesterday that he had a conflict. However, I was committed to attending anyway. Yesterday, we had a great day hanging out with my extended family all of whom were planning to attend the family church and I thought it would be great to join them.

I bathed the baby. Normally, I would have just given her a quick wash up, but she was due for a bath. Last night she had been crawling all around at her cousins’ house, but when we finally got home she was too tired for one. After her bath, I dressed her in a pretty dress, combed her hair and got her diaper bag ready. She was all ready.

That process took a while. And since Andre wasn’t helping, mommy was winging it!

After she was ready, it was time for me to get ready. I took a shower, combed my hair, applied some makeup and picked out something to wear. Since the baby had on a pretty dress I decided that I would wear one too. It’s always a bit interesting to pick out clothes when Andre isn’t coming because of the footwear issue. To get to the church you have to walk up rickety, uneven stairs from the parking lot. It’s hard to navigate alone and impossible to navigate in heels carrying a baby. However, I quickly remembered that I had a pair of flats to match my outfit. Score!

Well, as you can probably tell, the above activities took a bit of time. I should have started getting ready at 8:00 AM to make the 10:00 AM service. However, I didn’t start until 9:15. When the baby woke up she wanted to nurse so we got a late start. I thought we’d arrive a little late, but still catch the essential parts of the service. At a Baptist church you have a bit of a cushion….

However, I underestimated the entire process. By the time I did the above, got a bottle ready (I thought giving her a bottle would be better than trying to nurse her in the pew hoping that she didn’t move and expose me to the congregation…), loaded the stroller in the car, got the baby situated and got over the bridge, which is still 10 minutes away from the church I realized that it was 11:15! Even for a Baptist church, arriving over an hour late is inappropriate. So, I turned around and went back home. I wasn’t defeated though. I had a Plan B.

I planned to attend the church around the corner that has a 12:30 service. I figured there was no point in wasting the outfits. Also, I generally enjoy the services there. I was feeling smug and thinking that this Plan B was a solid one.

I had forgotten an important detail, nap time. However, the baby had not.

She generally takes a nap between noon and one. Needless to say, Plan B was only solid in my mind. In reality, it was doomed from the start. She was keenly aware of the time and appeared to question my sanity. And as soon as I placed her back in the stroller she started to whine and rub her eyes, telltale signals for “Hey lady, I’m tired!” So, I took her out of the stroller and up to her room. Five minutes into her naptime ritual she was out like a light. And mommy is typing this blog entry. Foiled again!!!

Oh, well, my prayers from home will have to do for today. Hopefully, some of my blog readers made it to church and prayed for us!!!

(Yes, that is her in the crib right now enjoying her nap that kept us from entering the house of the Lord.  Look at how peaceful and unaffected she is! At least you all get to see her in her pretty dress.  I guess it wasn't a total waste!)