It was a typical Friday night, or should I say my new typical Friday night. I ordered food from Postmates after an internal battle of whether or not I should really pay the fee to have food delivered. I decided that as a new mom with a seven week old newborn I deserved it. That’s my justification most days for things I shouldn’t indulge in doing, but let’s be honest my only indulgence is food; and it’s when I can actually find 10 minutes to sit down and eat it. I pulled up the app on my phone chose chinese food and pushed purchase with no regrets.
My son who is usually a pretty chill baby was in a real mood. I couldn’t set him down without a blood curdling scream. I literally walked around the house for an hour trying different positions. Sets baby in bouncer, cue scream. Sets baby in dock-a-tot cue scream. Sets baby on bed, cue scream. Sets baby in party play pit, cue scream. The only time he would stop screaming is when I would hold him. Normally, I don’t mind baby snuggles, but we are putting our house up for sale and I was trying to get the kitchen back in order. Thank God for Ergobaby because I was able to at least carry him around (which he approved of) and put stuff away.
Finally the food arrived, I had to meet the woman on the front porch because our dogs are wild animals and bark at the first sign of an intruder. I could tell the look of sympathy on her face as I stood in my pajamas on the front porch with a newborn strapped to my chest to greet her. “Boy or girl?” she asked. “Boy. He is seven weeks old!”, I tried to sound enthusiastic and not dead tired as pajamas hung off my body. “Congrats! Good luck!”, she exclaimed as she handed me the food and turned to walk away. Good luck is right I thought to myself.
The baby was finally asleep on my chest. I made the mistake of thinking it would be an excellent time to take him out of the Ergobaby and put him in his bouncer. Wrongo. He knew my plan and started screaming instantly. So I unpacked my food from the thin chinese takeout bag that they always double knot too tight and picked him back up. Of course, he was hungry too. I looked at my watch and realized it had been 2.5 hours since his last feeding. I should have known that the delivery food Gods would do this to me.
I warmed up a bottle and sat down to feed him. I decided I would try to eat in between burping and feeding him. I had gotten pretty good at balancing the bottle on my chin so I could sneak a free hand out to do things. I opened the first box and it was Edamame. “Edamame?” I said aloud as if the dogs or the baby could actually understand me. I honestly questioned whether I was so tired that I ordered Edamame (which I never do) or if I got the wrong order. I popped open the rest of the boxes and it was the right stuff.
It was a bonus item. Luck was starting to finally go my way. I thought about how disappointed the person who actually ordered Edamame was going to be when they opened up their shitty chinese take out bag after trying to cut it open with scissors because it was expertly tied tight only to realize that their appetizer was missing.
I started to eat the Wonton soup I ordered with one hand which is actually impossible while balancing a bottle on your chin. Next up was fried rice – it was too messy and getting more on the baby than in my mouth. Finally was my egg roll which was soggy because I left it in the bag too long trying to run around the house with a screaming child. So I decided what the hell – I will just try the Edamame. It turns out it was easy and delicious. I could eat a few while still feeding the baby. It was 9:30 PM and I was just now eating after having lunch around noon. As I sat and ate this delicious little vegetable, I was thankful that it was magically placed in my bag. It was the perfect thing to hold me over while I let little man finish his bottle.
I thought about how single me would have been pissed off that someone forgot my appetizer. I would have called and complained or more likely sulked and didn’t have the balls to call and complain. I would have never thought about who got my missing item. How that person maybe really needed it. How it could have been a tired mom just now finding time to eat after a few hours. Or maybe it was the woman who packed my takeout bag, maybe she was having a rough day and forgot. Maybe she had a few kids at home and didn’t sleep the night before. As I sat there eating Edamame, my perspective changed. I vowed never to overreact if something was missing from my takeout order, because you never know. It could be a tired mom or a person in need who fate decided to help out.
XOXO
Ashley (Founder of Harness)
