Gracie's Very, Very Bad, Bad Time

Jason is off work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on those nights if the weather permits we like to take family walks. I will put Kairi in my sling, Jason and I will walk side by side, holding hands if possible, and Gracie typically runs ahead (sometimes as far as half a block ahead!) Tonight, the weather was fabulous. It was cool but not cold - warm enough weather that we didn't have to wear jackets, which is just about perfect as far as I am concerned.

It just so happened that in order to make the dinner I had planned, I would be needing some jalapenos, so we decided to walk down to the dollar market* located about 6 blocks away to pick some up. Our walk there was great. Fantastic, really. Gracie, as per usual, ran ahead. Jason and I got to catch up with each other. Kairi was really enjoying taking in the scenery. Unfortunately, the market didn't have the kind of jalapenos I needed, but we didn't leave empty handed. We got some cookies and fish crackers, as well as a couple other items we were needing.

On our way back, about a block away from the market there was some water pooled over part of the sidewalk. I saw it at the last minute, and holding Gracie's hand I tried to steer her around it...

*SQUISH*

"Ohhh noooooo! My foot fell in, Mom!"

I looked down, and sure enough, her foot fell in. Her foot more than fell in. Her foot SANK in. Apparently the water had been sitting there for a while and had softened the soil around the sidewalk enough that when Gracie stepped onto it, it gave way and pulled her poor little leg down, covering the bottom half of her calf and her entire foot in a rich, black coat of mud.

I feel the need to take a moment here to explain something. My child can be unpredictable at times. I never really know how she is going to react to something, and just when I think I've got her pegged she surprises me. That being said, what I expected out of her was a meltdown. When she melts down (and this is too funny) she begins referring to herself in third person.

"You have to take my shoe off! You have to carry me! No walking for Gracie!"

Throw in some sobs and some hiccups and that's about what I expected. Instead, I got:

"Well, we're almost home, right? I think I can make it. You'll help me wash my foot when we get there, huh?"

She was as calm as could be. I was amazed. I mean, she was clearly bummed about it, but she was taking it in stride. I was very proud of my kid at that moment.

About a block later she began complaining about the squishy feeling when she stepped. Jason and I decided that perhaps it would be best if she walked barefoot, and if need be Jason would carry her. She walked home fine and didn't need to be carried at all, but the whole time she kept kind of chanting about how it was a very, very bad, bad time. (There's an episode of the Backyardigans where the characters are taking a tour of a swamp. Towards the end of the episode they get fed up with not seeing anything of any note and begin singing a song about how they are having a very, very bad, bad time. It also mentions stepping in mud and muck.)

I don't know why, but her little chant struck me as funny. When we got home, we ran a shallow bath and let her stand in it while we washed the mud from her leg and foot, and that was basically the end of it (minus the laundry). I just still can't get over how funny my kid can be.




*I am going to try to refrain from using store names if at all possible from here on out. I'm not sure why, it just feels right this way.