Things not to do with an Almost 2 year old

My in-laws came down for the weekend since it was my husband's birthday. He wanted to go to a nice restaurant for dinner, so we made reservations at Morton's Steak House. Unfortunately, our lack of planning caught up with us, and we didn't have a sitter for peanut. We asked when we made the reservation if they had any items for children. This isn't their specialty, but they said they could make mini burgers or chicken fingers. No problem, we'll bring peanut along.

We were working on re-arranging / setting up a family room in the basement, so we waited until the last possible minute to get ready to leave. I'm running around the house trying to gather up all of peanut's clothes, when my husband stops me in the upstairs hallway. Can you come in, and help me decide which outfit is the best one? I wait for him to change his pants a couple of times, and make the choice for him. I run downstairs, and peanut's in a combative mood. I try to get her to agree to changing her clothes, but it was a no go. I haul her into the downstairs guest bedroom where we have a back-up changing table, and start wrestling her into her new outfit while she hangs on to her dirty clothes with the "death-grip". I finally get her undressed, and into tights and her turtleneck. My mother-in-law offers to help, so I leave her with the jumper and shoes while I run upstairs to get myself ready. I jump into my clothes, and we race out of the house.

The drive is fairly uneventful. We make it downtown with 20 minutes to spare. Thankfully, our table is ready, so we were seated right away. Peanut had taken a snooze in the car, so at first she was completely angelic. She sat in the booster seat, and tried to read the menu. We place our order, and they bring some bread out to the table. Peanut asks for a piece. No problem I give her one, and she starts to eat it. It doesn't take long, and she's done. She decides to stand up, and play with the straw. She takes it out of the milk, and puts it in the water. She takes it out of the water, and puts it in her milk. She takes it out of the milk, and puts it in the water. This is all fine until she tries to pick it up. Real glass without a lid and a two year old don't mix. I narrowly avert tantrum #1. The appetizer arrives, and she tries the crab cake. Yummy! They deliver the salad, and she's bored. I try to eat, but she's starting to fuss. I get up, and take her to the bathroom thinking that she can run a little energy off inside, but she doesn't want to walk. I finally convince her to wash her hands, but then she wants to do it again, and again. I finally make it back to the table, and she doesn't want to sit in the booster seat. We narrowly avoid tantrum number two, and my husband and I switch ends, so that peanut can lounge on the booth without disturbing the patrons at the adjacent table. She squirms and twists, and I finally realize that I have her favorite toy in my purse - a baby wipe. I give it to her, and it buys me enough time to eat 1/2 of my main course. By now, we're past her bedtime, and she's getting antsier by the second. She takes off her shoes, and puts them on the table. I move them to the booth, and she starts fussing. Tantrum #3 is narrowly avoided because mommy lets her start playing in my purse. She takes out the spare change of clothes. She takes out the diapers. She takes out the wipes. She takes out the cell phone. She takes out the address book. Bingo! I give her a pen, and let her start writing in the address book. This gives me time to finish my dinner, but our booth looks like a tornado hit it. Peanut gets distracted, and starts writing on her hands. She traces the lines in her palms, and scribbles over the backs. Grandma finishes dinner, so she takes peanut to the bathroom to wash her hands, and we ask for the check as soon as we can get our waiter's attention. I pack up the wreckage, pay the bill, and we finally head for home.

So, things to remember for next time:

bring a sippy cup (exclusive restaurants aren't prepared for 2 year olds)
bring crayons & coloring book
bring a play purse for peanut
plan far enough in advance to hire a sitter

My husband keeps telling me how well she did, and he's right. For a two year old, she did a great job. However, he wasn't the one fighting with her. I wanted him to enjoy his dinner, so I took care of things. He's also pleased that we can afford to expose her to these types of restaurants occassionally. We've found that peanut has an ability to really enjoy expensive foods. Her palate is much more grown up than she is.