The Look Of Hope

Chapter 30: Ugh! Ugly

One weekend, in November, Mary and her girlfriends decided to go away for a short trip. They haven't done anything together, just the five of them, in a long time. With this in mind, suite rooms were booked at the Four Seasons, in Napa Valley. Wine country is always beautiful in the fall. The changing leaves there are so gorgeous.

Leaving the menfolk behind to tend to their houses and babies, made for apprehension in the days leading up to the trip. The Wednesday before the girls left, Thursday, Mary went over a checklist of items. She had written out detailed instructions for Bobby, regarding the girls. Now she needs to review household things and add those to it too. 

The list includes things like wash laundry, hand wash Grace's bottles, give Grace her antibiotic for her heart (use the oral syringe), change the bed linens on our bed and the girl's, change Lydia's toothbrush cause it's time, buy groceries (I left the list on the kitchen counter. Remember to get Lydia fruit cups for lunch.), wash Lydia's hair Thursday night (put a little gel in it and let it air dry)... the list and instructions filled up two pages. Hopefully, he'll read through it.

After picking Lydia up from school, they drove to the local grocery store. There are a few last-minute items she needs for the trip. "Bug, how was your day at school? Did you do any fun art?" Her daughter loves anything crafty and creative. Aunt Lori loves this! 

She spoke with her cute little voice. "Day is good. Livi wore pink. Tess wore blue. I wear hearts and stripes. I paint, Mommy." Her language development is coming along nicely, at least according to Ms. Tasha. Lydia can now speak several sentences with short words. Most of the time her words are clear, but if she's rushing they sound weird.

Mary loves dressing Lydia. She has the best time buying clothes for her girls. Like today, Lydia wore pink jeans with black hearts all over them. She rolled the cuff up. Then she had her girl put on a blue button-down, and added a black and white striped cardigan. Her gold shoes and top knot were the finishing touches. Cute, cute, cute.

"It sounds like you had a good day. We're stopping by the grocery store. Mommy needs to get a few things," she told Lydia.

When they parked, Mary went to the backseat and put on her baby wrap carrier. Then she unhooked Grace's car seat and put her gently into the wrap. Grace loves it. Usually, by the time they leave a store, she's knocked out asleep. It must have something to do with being wrapped up snuggly on your mother's chest. 

Since Lydia's almost three, she holds her mother's hand now. It's much more convenient than getting out the cumbersome stroller. In the grocer's they visited the travel section, where Mary got everything she needed. Then they went to the snack section, and Lydia went wild. She wanted My Little Pony gummies, yogurt-covered raisins, and pudding cups. She ended up being able to choose just one thing and went with the gummies. 

Little old ladies admired baby Grace. "She's so precious", "Just look at that face. The face of an angel", "What a beautiful girl. Both of your girls are." Of course, they are. They have good genes on both sides of the family, but more than that they are sweet (most of the time). As they rounded the aisle to the chips, Mary overheard an interesting conversation between two ladies.

"Susan, did you hear that Bobby is the new youth minister," one of the ladies said.

Mary moved the Pringles cans out of the way, so she could have a peephole to the other aisle. Oh. She knows those ladies. Two single mothers with middle schoolers in the youth group, Susan and Amy.