Shop 'til you drop?

Ok, so this may sound a little strange, but it's our life.  The girls will be one year old tomorrow and have not been in a retail store until this weekend.  Honestly, they really have not been anywhere with the exception of relatives houses and the doctors' offices.  Ok, maybe once or twice we've gone out to dinner with them but for the most part we've kept them pretty sheltered.  We've done this for several reasons....(1.) RSV kills!!  I've been told that my obsession with the girls getting RSV is a little out of control, but I'm just trying to make sure nothing happens to my girls.  Preemie baby's lungs do not fully develop until they are 18 months old.  Something as simple as them getting the common cold can turn serious very quickly for a preemie.  YES, our girls will be considered and treated as preemies their entire lives, don't scold me for being protective!  (2.) Imagine how much faster you can get in and out of a grocery store if you don't have to unload two munchkins.  Just for convenience sake, we've always just left the girls at home.  (3.) My obsessive anxiety issues about taking the girls out in public.  I'm always afraid I'm going to be the Mom in the middle of the store trying to console a screaming child or in our case, two screaming children.

This weekend the weather was great and we need to start getting things in order for the girl's party.  I needed Terry's help making some decisions at the store.  I also think Terry was starting to get a little claustrophobic in the walls of our house.  We made the decision that we were going to take the girls shopping with us. 

Once again, my anxiety was all for nothing.  Why can't I just relax already?  Addison definitely has my shop 'til you drop gene and Alexis has my love for people watching.  Addison sat beautifully and kicked her little legs as they dangled from the cart.  She had a blast and as long as I fed her an occasional Gerber Puff she was happy as a clam.  Alexis was very into just looking at everything.  I could see it in her eyes that she was just taking it all in.  She seemed very curious as she glanced around at everything.  Both girls did an amazing job. 

I know that you all think that I'm nuts, but a trip to Wal-Mart with the kiddos was a big step for us.  As the girls get older, I'm starting to feel more comfortable venturing out and doing new things with them.  Yes, I will continue to Lysol wipe down the entire shopping cart before I put them in it, or the swing at the park, but I'm looking forward to more and more adventures with my big girls ( I can't exactly call them babies anymore).

Addison left, chewing on the container of Gerber puffs.  Alexis right, just hanging out, waiting until she can go home and play with the new purple ball.