oh. my. goodness.

I just had my first experience with baby screaming his head off in public. And I mean SCREAMING. In my effort to take Cam out more often, I met my friend Rae and her daughter Addy at Alderwood mall this morning. I fed Camden at about 9:45am and got him ready to get to the mall by about 10:30. He usually naps somewhere between 9am and 11am, but with all the moving around (from house to car seat to the stroller I borrowed and wanted to try out) he ended up finally falling asleep around 11 or so at the mall. He slept while we shopped and got up around 12:20ish when we got to Claimjumper.

But that's okay. He was up through our lunch at Pike's and was just fine. Uh, not so much this time.

He didn't want to stay in the stroller so I took him out and held him in my lap. He liked that. I got his bottle out cause I figured he'd be hungry soon. He usually eats every 2-3 hours in the daytime. He looked around at all the people, Rae held him. I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper (first time for that too!). All was okay.

We order and the food comes. Time to eat so I see if Cam will sit back in the stroller while I eat. He sat there and was fine for the first 10 minutes. Rae and I chatted, I started my salad, then Cam started fussing so I figured he wanted out and wanted to eat.

Took him out and tried to feed him his bottle. OH MY!! He started to suck, made a weird face and then began to scream his head off! He's been doing that recently sometimes, but only with breastmilk. It's weird. Sometimes the milk is too cold so we warm it and then he takes it down. So, Rae helps out and asks the waiter to bring me a cup of hot water. In the meantime, Cam is crying. REALLY crying. Tears streaming down his face crying! I walk him around the restaurant, trying to calm him down. No such luck! He's reached a point of no return, apparently.

Maybe he needs another diaper change? Worth a shot. So I grab my diaper bag and head to bathroom again. Baby still screaming, arching his back, red-faced with tears pouring down his little face. Oh, not to mention everyone in the restaurant is staring at me with my baby whom I can't seem to calm down. Nice.

Get to the bathroom and once I lay him down on the changing table he stops crying. I change him and he's a little wet but nothing major. He's sat calmly through much worse diapers than that.

But then right after I put his pants back on, he starts crying again! WTH is wrong?

I walk him back to the table (again...people staring, baby screaming) and take his bottle to the back of the restaurant where there are less people and it's a bit queiter. He still aint having it. I try holding him outwards. Nada. Cradling him. Oh, that's worse. So, I have him with his head over my shoulder, patting his back walking around the restaurant. Movement usually helps to calm him but he was long gone at this point.

I take him to the entrance of the restaurant where there's a little enclosed sitting area. As I pass by a huge table of people, who do I run into but Kau`i, my hula sister! She gets up to talk to me and see Camden (she hadn't met him yet) but I have to tell her I'll come back cause he's gonna have a fit. Kind of rude, I know. But that's the life of mommy! I continue on my way to the front of the restaurant. It's much quieter there and cooler. He calms down for a bit as I pace back and forth in this small boxed in section. People are walking in and out. They have to pass through what I've now designated the "baby crying" section to enter and exit the restaurant, and here I am pacing with Camden. This is getting comical, really.

When he's somewhat calm, I try to feed him again. He takes the bottle and starts sucking. He swallows about half an ounce and starts crying again. Huh?? Back to pacing. I open the door to the outside hoping the shock of cool air will calm him. That works wonders! Back inside and try again. He takes down maybe another ounce, then boom! Scream!! Okay, maybe you're NOT hungry. But I swear, you are. I think the breastmilk must taste funny or something cause this isn't the first time he's reacted like this to breastmilk. Not sure what the problem is though. Maybe it's the nipple? He gets breastmilk in a different bottle than his formula now. Or maybe it IS the temperature of the milk? Or maybe it's just what I eat sometimes that makes it taste different? Who knows, but he wasn't having it!

Finally, after he takes down about 2 ounces, I give up. I pace with him and he's calm. Kau`i comes through as she's leaving and talks with me. I'm so consumed with thinking about whether or not he'll scream again and how to get him home with the least amount of drama that I barely recall what we talked about. Sorry, Kau`i!

Get back to the table and Rae's gone. She's miraculously taken Addy, her stroller, her diaper bag, my stroller, my diaper bag and even my leftover salad to the back of the restaurant and is sitting breastfeeding Addy. She has got this down!

At this point, Cam is tuckered out. I think he cried him self sleepy. I cradle him and he falls asleep. Put him back in the stroller, he sleeps through the walk from Claimjumper to car and I get him home in one piece.

When we get home, he's still fussy so I feed him the last 2 oz from THE SAME BOTTLE and he takes it down, no problem. He even wants more. Crazy child. Here's Cam after I fed him at home just happy as a clam!



Still not sure what his problem was. Combination of overstimulation, overtired, breastmilk not to his liking? Who knows. Rae says after a few outings like this though, you just get used to people looking at you and don't care. Boy, I sure hope so! But, I just need to keep taking him out and hopefully these kinds of fits will be few and far between.