Sigh

So today was a day of errunds and none of them were terribly Stella friendly.

So as I trekked from Target to Wegmans I thought I would take a quick detour to Chuck E. Cheese and have a little 'Stella time.' As you enter a Chuck E Hostess or Chuckstess gives both you and your child a stamp on your hand that matches. It is a stamp that can only be seen under the blacklight which is at the entrance.

Within minutes Stella made it clear this wasn't really how she wanted to spend her 'Stella time". I plopped her on one thing and then another and she squirmed and seemed to be scared and reached for me...her mother...to take her off. We wacked a mole, sat on a tractor with Bob the Builder, threw basketballs in a net, knocked over duckies in a row, rode a train with Barney and finally sat in a car with Chuck E. All the while trying to get Stella to enjoy the fun that is Chuck.

Finally after 15-20 mins I gave up. She was clinging to the side of an air hockey machine and pointing at the window. It was time to go.

As you leave a Chuckstess has to check your hand and the hand of your child to be sure you are leaving with what you came with. She peeked at my hand and saw a 47 in the disco light but when she looked at Stella's there was nothing but a smear of glow and the hint of part of a 7. She looked again and from different angles trying to verify that Stella was mine. A nice little line was forming both coming and going as we waited. Finally the gal looked at me and asked if I might have a picture to confirm that little blessing smear-7 was mine. Can you even believe I didn't!? I had left my cell phone in the car to charge and that would have been the only pics in my purse. The woman looks from Stella to me and back and I am sheepishly looking at the little crowd of anxious onlookers. "Does she talk" asks the Chuckstess. I shake my head, no. "Will she point" Again, I shake a no. "Will she look at you" YES! She should be able to do that.

With that she gets right in Stella's face and says "Where is your mommy?" No response from Stella AT ALL....she repeats this like 5 times and I am just standing there...right next to Stella turning red. Finally Stella makes her trademark GA!!! and turns to look at an indian woman standing about 3 feet away. GREAT!

The Chuckstess tries to laugh but she is torn between feeling bad for me and knowing she shouldn't leave without knowing for sure that Stella is mine. I then remember that I have this in my purse and after showing it to her she lets me leave. Sigh.