A trip to JoAnn's Fabrics

I had to go to JoAnn's today to pick up supplies for our Christmas card. Emma hates, hates, hates JoAnn's! It's almost like there's a sensor on the threshold of that store, because as soon as we step through the door, she's starting to complain. It doesn't matter what I do, how many graham crackers I give her, it always ends up the same: me holding her and trying to juggle her wiggly body, my wallet, my purchases...ugh.

Today was no different, of course, but I had to go there. I was desperate for a white ballpoint pen (which I found but, it turns out, I won't be using it for our cards. Uh-huh.). I was holding Emma, and she was squirming, wanting to get down and, no doubt, hightail it for the door and the freedom beyond. Christmas music was playing, I started bouncing her, she started to smile, and suddenly I was dancing in the aisle. Yep, for everyone to see, I was swing dancing with Emma to some random Christmas song. And the funny thing is, it was a blast! I didn't care who was looking (though I figure that most moms would just nod understandingly and keep on walkin'), and I didn't care how we looked. We were having fun together in JoAnn's, for the first time ever.

Opportunities for that kind of moment don't last forever. One day, Emma will not only still hate JoAnn's, but she'll also be bummed that she's stuck with me, bored out of her wits while I search for the perfect white pen. But today, I got to dance in the aisle with my baby, and that's bliss.