The Epitome of Water PlayOn Sunday, at Nan's (my mommy group's coordinator) suggestion, Edmund, Steven and I made our way to Northgate Mall. Steven hadn't seen Edmund in several days due to his hectic WakeMed schedule and wanted to tag along. I told him that when the mommies showed up he could get a pretzel. Fortunately, Nan's husband, Scott, also came along for the afternoon, so Steven would have a guy to hang out with. Nan and Scott have two boys, L who is Edmund's age and 4 month old C. The bonus of having the daddies around was that the mommies could talk while the dads chased the kids.
I actually remember the last time I went to Northgate Mall. I was a sophomore in college and my mom took my sister and I there to do some Christmas shopping. This was in the days before Southpoint Mall and the suburban sprawl that came with it popped into existence. I can't knock the suburban sprawl too much as our house was a direct result of that very sprawl. Northgate wasn't a very nice mall back then, was quite a drive, but at the time was the best we had. Steven said his last trip to Northgate was even more distant than mine.
I can't say that a whole lot has really changed for Northgate. It is still reminiscent of its days back in the early 90s despite a minor facade overhaul, and the store selection is still subpar. The one thing this mall has going for it, however, is its kiddie entertainment. We didn't plan to hit up the carousel, train, or my personal favorite The Sea of Learning teacher store inside the mall. Sunday was all about the water. Northgate has a beautiful arrangement of fountain jets near Entrance 2. If my memory serves me correctly these fountains weren't around when I was younger. The great thing about the fountains is that there is a sign clearly inviting people to jump on in, unlike those fountain plaques that boldly state "KEEP OFF".
I thought it pointless to put Edmund in his swimsuit. He was definitely timid at Sesame Place when it came to water jets, and we had two days to break him in there. I told Steven to pack a change of clothes and a towel and be done with it. For some reason, however, the towel didn't make it.
When we arrived L. was surveying the water. Edmund took one look at the water and began saying "no, no, no." I tried showing Edmund how much fun it was to get wet. He seemed to find it perfectly fine for mommy or daddy to get wet, but he was not getting near the water. His plan was to involve L. in a game of chase around the perimeter of the fountains. Eventually L. tired of this game and bravely made the first entrance into the water. Edmund wanted nothing to do with this. As Edmund saw L. having more and more fun, he shyly inched his way nearer to the fountains. A little mist was all he needed.
After his misting, Edmund got even more brave. He found a wall between the jets and discovered he could basque in their glory without getting wet. He was laughing hysterically. That is until we noticed that his laughter was now screams of panic. The wall was no longer his protector and Edmund was drenched. Steven calmed Edmund down. Then suddenly Edmund had no fear. The drenching seemed to have taken the fear away. Edmund swerved in and out of the fountain jets chasing L., all the while laughing and squealing. The two boys relished in the excite
ment of the water for about 20 more minutes, until their 2 year old batteries had little charge left. We decided to call it a day, but first we had to get our special treat.Although Northgate may not have much in the way of shopping. it does have a strategically placed Marble Slab Creamery near the fountains. Can you think of a better way to end a fun day at the fountains than with a creamy cup of cold ice cream? I know Edmund can't!
I have to thank Nan and Scott for these gorgeous pictures. Steven and I have gotten a bit lazy with the camera, so perhaps we'll take our cue from them and start snapping away again.
