Trip to Mt. Laurel

Mom and I went to Mt. Laurel today for a recreational trip...it didn't start out too well because I was extremely fussy on our car ride over there...which consequently made Mom almost have a meltdown too. She pulled over into a neighborhood to sooth me so I'd stop crying, gave me my handy-dandy whistle that Grammie and Aunt Lara bought me to keep me content (which in all actuality is not a whistle, but a plastic recorder...Mom can play a mean 'hot crossed buns' on it!) and then we were on our way. Once we got there, I was all smiles. We went into the small grocery store and got me an apple juice and then we went to the toy shop and we picked out an 'Ugly Doll' to keep me entertained. Mom put a lime green ugly doll and a red demon looking 'Ice Bat' in front of me and she let me choose which one I wanted. Big surprise, I choose the red demon Ugly Doll. He's red, like my hair, and looks ferocious. Then, Mom stopped in a few shops, bought a cool American Flag lawn ornament out of corrugated metal, which was made locally (Mom says it's totally creative), admired the architecture while strolling around, and then we went to the playground. We went down the slide a few times, I walked around the padded playground all by myself and refused to let Mom hold my hand, we got a "Wow, he's already walking at 12 months" comment from one of the other Mom's (yes, I'm a rock-star), and then I got to go in the baby swing. This part I loved the most! I did this all while holding my plastic recorder. (Mom couldn't pry it out of my hands without me freaking out). I didn't have a meltdown on the car ride back because I was too pooped and I slept the entire ride home, so it turned out to be worth the trip for Mom after all!