I had a table selling Cat in an Apron wares at two different shows this past weekend. I'm not a HUGE sales person, but I love to show off the gorgeous things I carry that are made by OTHER people.
The first show was only an hour and a half long, so my husband took the kids for a drive and a milkshake while I stayed at the show. Baby O. apparently cried the whole time. When they came to get me, he couldn't have been happier! Smiling hugely and he actually laughed for the first time, as if nothing had bothered him for the last hour.
The second show I had help from friends, so my husband stayed home with H. and Miss Mae, and I took baby O. with me. He has had a little "witching hour" crying fits for the first couple of months of his life, but he seemed to be over them. And I thought he'd hang out with us while we manned the table. WELL. He decided to have the worst screaming fit of his short LIFE while we were setting up. Then he decided to be happy DURING the show and take a nap, and then as soon as I put him down to start loading everything, he thought he'd try to beat the original screaming fit. SERIOUSLY. UGH. When he cries I completely lose it - I can't concentrate, I can't understand what people are saying, I just want to hold him. I was battling with myself: I needed to get set up, and out of there and out of everyone's way, I didn't want to bother people with the screaming, I didn't want my friend, who came to help me, have to do EVERYTHING while I held my baby, and I was mortified that I couldn't calm my own baby! Thank God my friend Shannon DID come with me. I do not know what I would have done with out her!! It was very difficult. I didn't leave him with my husband, because I'm nursing him often enough that I couldn't be away from him that long, and we haven't gotten the whole pumping and bottles thing down yet.
While we were setting up and I was freaking out and trying to calm my body so that baby O wouldn't feel how tense I was, and this angel woman appeared out of nowhere and offered to hold him. Should I hand my baby to a stranger? Would she just walk out the door with him?? And mostly I really thought he wouldn't calm down with her because I'M the only one he calms down with. "I'm a doula," she said. What did I do? I hand him to her. What did HE do? He STOPPED CRYING. I was able to set everything up and he was happy with her. She even LOOKED like an angel. Then during the clean up and put everything away phase, and screaming bout number TWO, she appeared AGAIN! And off he went with his angel to wait for me to finish.
I can't thank her enough. If you need an angel, check her out: http://www.pamperedmomma.net/ . She is calm and lovely and obviously has a way with babies!! and mamas!!
The PROs of owning my own business, are that I could lay on the couch when I was ill from morning sickness, and let the business take a back seat to pregnancy, and be able to lay low for a couple of months when baby O. came home with us. I can work when I CAN - when the kids are asleep, or my husband is home.
The Cons?? The shows this weekend, and the horrible guilt I can load on myself when my poor baby is screaming and I can't just walk away with him to hold him.
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