deck the malls with baols of howy...

This past Friday a good friend came to town to visit, and as Cara and I headed out to the airport to pick her up, we found out that her flight had been significantly delayed.  Not wanting to run back to our house and then back out again, we pulled into Robinson Town Center - the crazy shopping land betwixt Pittsburgh and the airport.

Now I'm never much one for buying new stuff to begin with, but somehow inside the stores and mall, it was the holiday season already.  Everything was red and green and there was nonstop christmas music.  Already.  And - get this - there was a Santa at the center of the mall in a castle, with a line of countless parents waiting to deposit their children on his lap.  Already.  It was early November, and I don't know when the season had started in the mall, but it didn't even seem recent.  Then again for as often as I'm in a mall, they might well all be all christmas all the time, I wouldn't know.  As this particular mall was closing we overheard one woman complain to a security guard: "Well when are the extended holiday hours going to start?!" 

Sigh.  We did have a good laugh looking at some more maternity stuff, and have begun a search for a warm winter jacket for Cara and her baby belly.  Our previous quest had been an unsuccessful attempt to find her a raincoat.  Our criteria were somewhat simple:  Trench coat style with a belt, knee length, waterproof, with a hood, and green.  Even with the magic of the internet we've had no luck.  But now that the baby belly is on it's way and we're headed towards a expansive winter, we're putting the rain jacket on hold in the interest of something warmer.

In other news, as I type Cara's depositing said friend back at the airport, and stopping to look at a used high chair that we like.  So we may well have our first piece of baby furniture by the end of the day...