adventures @ the library

Every Tuesday I try to get up and ready in time to take Buddy to our library story time. I don't really understand why they always have activities for toddlers in the morning - especially since it usually takes most of the morning for us to get up, bathe, get dressed, and eat something (this task is the longest some days). To add to that getting the coat & shoes on and getting out the door - well it's a work out. And Book Babies (the library storytime for children under 2) is CROWDED! If we're not there by the time the library opens then we usually have to sit in the second or third row - which is hard for Buddy because he has hard enough time focusing on the story teller when we are in the front row.
Today we made it! On the front row! I asked him if he wanted to sit on the floor & he agreed. Two minutes later he said "ma ma". I asked him if he wanted to sit on my lap & he said "No". Turns out he wanted me to sit on the floor with him. Well I'm not going to sit on the floor in a crowded (parents sitting knee to knee on the chairs) room. He got pretty ticked at that. Needless to say story time wasn't as productive as I would have liked it to be.
After story time we (meaning Buddy) wrestle the giant pillows they have in the center of the children's section, go find some books (Buddy loves taking books off the shelves & I have to hurry & grab a few board books & show him the chairs before we have 12 or so books on the floor), and find a seat. Buddy loves the little chairs & tables. He gets up & goes down. Occasionally looking at the book I am trying to read him.
Then we go to look at "mommy's books" - if I"m lucky and he's not running / yelling by then. I grab my "reserved" books - this is the greatest idea: you can go online & request books, the librarian will pull them (when they are avaliable) and put them on the shelf with your name on a slip of paper. It's awesome because I never have time to browse or look up a book in the catalog & find where it might be.
After that sometimes we go to the video section - again with me being quick to pick out a video with an animal or train on it & put it in Buddy's hand so that we don't end up with half a dozen dvds or vhs (which we don't even have a player for any more - so VHS are pointless but Buddy still likes the boxes). Then we go & see the fish.
Well the library we go to has a circular ramp that goes between the three levels (and you can see the fish pond in the center on the first floor). Today after grabbing a few books, Buddy didn't want to see the fish or look at the videos - he just wanted to go up & down the ramp. After all, who needs books when you have an awesome ramp to run up and down.