Jack's Feet

This is Jack's Foot. 

Cute right?

I especially love his peas-in-a-pod toes.  

But do you want to know the one downfall of these sweet trodders?

I can't buy his shoes at Target.  I buy everything at Target!  All of my baby-needs come home in the white and red plastic bag (unless I remember my reusable ones, which, I'll be honest, is only about two times in ten).  

For the last month Jack has been "that poor baby who doesn't wear shoes even though it is December."  I just didn't have any that fit him.  So, the other day on one of my regular trips to the Baby Mecca I looked for a pair.  I tried every option on his pudgy little foot.  If it fit the ankle, it was a good two inches too long.  Nothing worked.  

I've had this problem with socks before.  They all leave a ring around his calf because his legs are so chunky.  In fact, if Andy hasn't already told you this story, Jack has a big scar on his leg from his first few days of life.  When we brought him home from the hospital I put a pair of socks on him.  They seemed to fit just fine and he wore them overnight.  When I took them off the next day there was an angry red welt where the sock had been.  It actually broke the skin!  Now, almost nine-months later, the mark is still there.

That problem was pretty easy to solve.  Now I just buy socks labeled for 18-24 months or 2-3 years. Yes I know he is only nine-months old.  But we have to be flexible as parents.

However, I didn't know about the shoes.  I was pretty shocked that Target could let me down like that.  

So last night Andy and I were finishing up some Christmas shopping at the Mall.  We sought out the specialty (read, expensive) kids shoe store, hoping for some options for Jack.  

He got to have his foot measured and everything.  Jack stood up (with my support) and happily complied with what the sales associate asked.  He did it all with a big grin on his face. He just loves having a friendly face to gaze at. 

So Jack's official size is 2 and a half.  We were instructed to buy a half size big, so that he could grow into it.  

But wait, the woman pointed out a few sizes that run especially wide, so we asked to try those.  Let me just tell you now that those pairs were priced at $45.  Forty Five Dolllars!  For baby shoes!!!  Ugh.  But I thought maybe we would just tell grandma to get them for Christmas.  Andy's response to that was, "Babies don't want shoes for Christmas!" to which I laughed heartily because babies have no idea about the whole thing.  I was just going to wrap up a box with paper scraps in it and let Jack go crazy.  

Anyhow, I digress.

So we tried on these supposedly wide-running shoes and they were impossible.  Never fear, says our assistant, "They come in wide."  Did the wide work?  No.  Did we have to by EXTRA WIDE?  Yes.  Did we also have to buy special socks that didn't have a band around the top to cut into his leg and that are thin so that the shoe actually fits?  Yes.

Oh Jack, I hope we don't have to buy you specialty shoes the rest of your life!  Our budget can't handle that.  

Perhaps I should compose a letter to Target requesting that they carry extra-wide baby shoes.  Hmmm... I'll consider that.

Until then, if someone happens to have an extra pair of extra wide shoes, in any size, please, please send them our way.