Potty Police

Why can I remember to haul my camera along to the playground for kid pictures, or have it handy at the dinner table when Elaina decides to paint her face with chocolate pudding, but I didn't think to lay a finger on it this weekend when Grandma and Grandpa W. came to visit?
Why? Why? Why?

Eric's parents came for an overnight visit on Friday night until Saturday. Unfortunately, I had a previous commitment for Friday night for my first ever girls' Bunco Night. (Great fun, by the way!) Grandma and Grandpa were impressed how big Lincoln had gotten and how fast that little guy can crawl. And like usual, Grandma and Elaina baked cookies together. And, um, thanks for leaving them all with us. Yum! Elaina has the best grandmas: Grandma W. being the cookie-baking, finger-nail painting grandma and Grandma H. being cinnamon roll, chocolate milk grandma. Lucky for all of us and our sweet tooth!

We enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant before they had to move on to their next destination. Since there was plenty of day still left and the temperature was still mild, Elaina and I packed up and enjoyed a girls' day out. The abbreviated version that you do with a 2 year-old in 4 hours before bedtime, that is.

I had to make some returns and I was longing to use my 30% savings coupon at Kohl's. We ended up going to several stores and she even tinkled while stopping at the stores for a potty break. [Just an intermission in this story; Elaina had a dry pull-up all weekend long and even woke up dry on Saturday. WOW!] I was so impressed and happy with my big girl, until.... We were taking a potty stop at our last store and she went first and then it was my turn. Usually I play "Simon Says" with her while I go about my business so that she doesn't get distracted and want to touch everything-germ-infested in the bathroom. Good idea, right? Eye contact, keeping her hands to herself, etc. This particular time, the distraction of the lock on the door was more than she could take and she opened the door while I was still sitting and she ran down the hall! Brat! And there I sit, yelling from my throne, door flung wide open and crazy child about to get in trouble on the loose. Thankfully, the location of the ladies room is somewhat remote and a key is necessary to access the 2 restrooms so there wasn't an audience at this point. At the time though, I didn't know which direction she went and if she made it back into the busy store. Alone. However, the employee offices and break room were in this corridor which is where I found the little girl who about to get spanked. When I happened upon her, she was smiling like she had won a sack race. And without a word, I snatched her up back into the restroom which my purse and coats were left and swatted her hiney, washed our hands, put on her coat and hauled her past our loaded cart and the toys I promised her she could play with and out the car. Yes, she was in trouble. With Elaina, just not speaking to her for a short period of time following an incident hurts her feelings the most because of the uncertainty of what is next and provides a minute for me to calm down. Once she was secured in her car seat and her tears were still flooding from her face, I told her exactly why her behavior was unacceptable and she offered a sorrowful apology. We kissed and made up and I sprung for a happy meal which can right any wrong when you're two.