Adventures in Leaving the House

Let me start by saying I am seriously PMS-ing. This explains my lack of ability to cope with what will seem like minor setbacks. Things started off all right this morning, with Jack waking at his normal 6:30AM in a reasonably good humor. He bumped his head twice right after breakfast, resulting in a little crying and two new bruises, but that's par for the course these days.
After J went off to work, Jack and I went upstairs to play. As I sipped my coffee, I began thinking about my first (really my only) goal for the day: major grocery shopping, leaving the house no later than 9:00. At 8:25, we started the getting-dressed-and-gathering-all-the-crap-we-must-have-to-leave-the-house routine. Here's how it went:

8:25 get myself dressed in shorts and a favorite t-shirt

8:35 change Jack's diaper and chase him around the upstairs to get his clothes on him

8:45 start to carry Jack downstairs and realize his cloth diaper he's had on for 10 minutes has leaked all over his shorts and my shirt

8:50 change Jack's shorts and my shirt. Jack is now wearing a more reliable disposable diaper.

8:55 gather snacks, water cup, grocery list etc into the diaper bag

9:00 right on time! Put Jack in his car seat with his snack trap full of Cheerios.... and smell poop

9:02 go back in the house, dropping Cheerios all over the floor I just vacuumed last night

9:05 Jack manages to spill the entire contents of his snack trap while I change him.

9:08 call the dog over to clean up Cheerios. She won't come because Jack is between her and the snacks and is playing with a vibrating toy that scares her.

9:09 I let out a venting primal scream, leaving Jack and the dog staring at me as if I just grew a second head.

9:15 Finally we are in the car on the way to the store!

Grocery shopping went all right, even though Jack was scared of the guy wearing a hoody at the seafood counter, and I had to carry him in the sling for the rest of the trip. There was a lot of dropping of things, both by Jack and myself. I groaned inwardly each time I bent to retrieve an item, as my back felt like a 90-year-old's at that point. Eventually, we did get home with the groceries, and I managed to get the cold things put away before nap time, which brings me to now. Jack is blissfully sleeping, hopefully for another 45 minutes at least. I am not going to fold diapers, I am not going to clean up Cheerio crumbs, and I am not going to roll the hose up that's been in the middle of the back yard for....well, a long time. I am going to finish this post and go take a nap!