Eli in Wonderland!

We did it! Keith and I went and saw Alice in Wonderland in the theatre on opening day. Impressive, I know? Oh...and did I mention that Eli was also in attendance. :) Keith thought up the idea, and we had a 'can do attitude' that made it all work. We picked an 11:30am showing that Keith suspected would not be nearly as crowded (he was right, I was wrong). Also, we got matinee prices.

We pulled up to the theatre with a surprisingly passive baby that didn't get upset with the car ride. We took him out of car seat and just carried him into the theatre in our arms. We walked into the theatre right as the movie was starting. We quietly snuck to the back. I had originally thought to sit on the back row, but those seats were taken. So, the next (more perfect) option was to sit in those seats that are in the corner just over the stair case.

It was pretty much during this time that I really felt like we were smuggling a baby into the theatre. It is one thing to bring in your own drinks and candy, but entirely another to bring in a baby. I was glad that lights were already off, because I am certain that our fellow movie go-ers would have wanted to crucify us if they saw little Eli. :) Then we got seated.

I am not a believer in women using their boobs to get what they want from men, but 'hey!'....you do what you gotta do sometimes. Right ladies?....Holla! The minute we got seated...in the mouth it went. :) So, what if I was going to become a human pacifier...you do what it takes. It was pitch dark, Keith was sitting in the isle, and we had complete privacy...so this was a situation that I supported 'public nursing'. He nursed/used me for about an hour of the movie, never went to sleep. He squirmed and moved and made little noises. There several parts of the movie that he had my full attention. He would occasionally lose his latch, so Keith broke out the IPhone and used it as a flashlight...quite the scene.

So, the movie progressed. It was good and entertaining. Luckily for me, it didn't require too much attention, because I was only able to give it 50% of mine. Visually, it was very stimulating. Eli used the first hour on the boob, then fell asleep for about 15 minutes (heaven!), and spent the last 15 minutes of the movie ... 'on the brink'. Keith and I spent the entire time planning our exit strategy in the event of an outbreak. There was a large fight sequence in which we used a blanket like ear muffs so the little guy wouldn't be startled.

With about 10 minutes left of the film...we heard a cry! It was the most glorious sound, like a primitive call from across the theatre. Yes! There was another little baby in attendance. I looked to Keith and said "Was that a baby crying?", and he agreed. There were others like us! I wanted to run to them and celebrate our feat as new parents and movie-goers! However, our paths never crossed. As the movie came to a close, we made our exit with the extra cargo in tough.

Would we do it again? Probably not...not going to take our chances. However, if something really good comes out, we might take the plunge.

Here is a picture of us after the movie. There happened to be a movie poster in the hallway called "Everybody Loves Babies".... no clue what it is about, but made for a great picture opportunity.