My Day So Far (Or Why I Can't Mail a Card)

(I originally wrote this up as an email to Corinne, but thought the story was fun enough to share)

Setting: Monday morning, 30 minutes before a play date on Corinne's birthday.
I had, of course, bought Corinne a card WEEKS ago, but somehow never got it in the mail. So here's what happened when I tried to do so today:

Me: Lily, we're going to walk to the mailbox, come get in the Ergo
Lily runs across the apartment wailing miserably
Me: Lily, do you want to go for a walk?
Lily: okay (runs to the door and stands by it)
Me (putting on the ergo): Okay get in the Ergo
Lily: no no no (crying accompanied by "becoming a noodle" as I try to pick her up)
Me: Ok then, we're not going out unless you get in the Ergo
Lily hangs from door knob looking miserable
Me: you can ride on the way out and walk on the way in
Lily: Okay
More meltdown occurs as I try to wrestle her on my back - give up
Me: Okay then no walk
Lily stays by door whimpering pathetically

(repeat scene 3 times)

Finally in a rush of poor parenting technique fueled by a desire to actually get the card in the mail we go out - both by foot (so yeah, I gave in).

We get all the way to the mailbox - realize this journey of one block takes about 20 minutes in toddler time. There's far too much to look at apparently. And we must stop and say hi a billion times to every crew working on a house in our neighborhood - thankfully only 2 houses like that today.

Get to the mailbox - I've got the other two items, but NO CORINNE CARD! I start freaking out as the card has her gift in it too. Great.

So we hurry back to our street - there's the card lying on the sidewalk - phew. Even the simplest tasks get pushed up a notch with a toddler!

Happy Birthday Corinne!

Ergo torture - someone save this poor child!