New Shoes!

Now that Jack is walking and has moved up to the toddler room, he needs to have a pair of real walking shoes....or in his case, 4 new pair! And I think it's a right of passage to get your first pair of shoes at Stride Rite, so on Sunday we headed to the mall to get the kid some kicks. He was a little tired so we were worried he would throw a fit but he was so awesome! He was super cooperative and very friendly with the staff. He smiled and waved at everyone and made friends with the other kids in the store. I swear he's going to be a politician one day...Senator Jack David from California! But I think the best way to narrate Jacks shoe day is through pictures (yes, of course, I took pictures!)....

The first order of business was getting his feet measured. He was being such an angel here. I knew he had my big feet, but was not prepared to hear just how big. Drum roll please.....



Size 6....wide! The clerk said that's the size of an average 2-3 year old. How did we create such a linebacker! Check out these chubby hoofers....

So I begin to scan the rows of shoes, which by the way are so not as cute as the girls shoes. Why do shoe designers want boys to look like nerds? But anyway, I manage to find a few cool pair only to find out that they don't make those particular styles in WIDE. "Ma'am, you need to look at these shoes?" I felt like they were pointing me in the direction of the big and tall store! Begrudgingly, I look again and we settle on a few others. Then it was time to try them on. We thought for sure he would arch his feet and refuse the shoes, but alas, he continued to be an angel, even smiling and waving at our clerk....

After 28 trips to the stock room, our clerk (god bless him), managed to get Jack and his big feet into 3 pair of pretty cute shoes. I still wish he could wear the uber-stylish ones, but I digress. Here's what $95 will buy you...and probably last us for one month....


So with an extremely tired child in tow we head for our car, but both of us really wanted the kid to get back some street cred he lost in Stride Rite. It was nap time, lunch time and pretty much time to go....but we braved the elements and diverted to Nordstrom where the cool shoes live. And we found these very expensive, very unpractical, but killer kicks...

Today, Jack got to wear his new shoes to school. I have to tell you, as I was dressing my 11 month old in a size 6 big boy shoe, I had a little moment. I was no longer dressing my baby, I was dressing my walking, talking, shoe wearing toddler! It kinda got me a little bit...our buddy is a big boy now. I was a little sad. But he was so excited to wear his new shoes and socks. Here he is testing them out before school...

(Side bar: If anyone thinks Jack has a mullet please raise your hand! You can't see but mine is raised. Christian refuses to let me cut his hair but we're heading into white trash territory here. Maybe if enough people think it needs to be cut, Christian will relent. So let me know!)