Lunch with Keagan

This morning I had a midwife appointment in Beverly. I brought Keagan with me and he was a champ during the hour drive up and for the appointment. He got to play with the measuring tape (shaped like a cow) after the midwife measured my belly. It blows my mind that the inches of fundal height coincide with the number of weeks you are pregnant. How strange is that? Considering the "inch" is such an arbitrary measuring unit, it seems so unlikely. Anyway, I am, in fact, 20 inches which is perfect for 20 weeks pregnant (halfway through!!). My blood pressure reading was 102/60 which caused my midwife to remark "you are amazing!" Then we heard the heartbeat on the doppler, which always gets Keagan's attention because he likes it when they squirt "jelly" on my tummy.
These mid-pregnancy appointments are only like 10-15 minutes when everything is going well, so it's a bit annoying to do an hour each way, especially with Keagan. I didn't want to throw him right back in the car so we played with the toys in the living room of the birth center for a while and then I asked him if he wanted to go to the Northshore Mall, which is only a few minutes away from the Birth Center (and in the direction of home). Keagan loves malls. I don't know how we would have gotten through this Winter without the nice mall options (relatively) near our house. So off we went!
We walked the length of the mall, going up and down all the escalators- a new addition at the Northshore mall, which used to be strictly one floor and has now expanded to a lower level. I think they have also added a kid play space, but we didn't find one. We did, however, find the ride-on vehicles outside Sears. Keagan doesn't actually like to put money in them so they go, he just likes to get in and out of all of them several times, which suits me just fine. We stopped at the food court for some lemonade and a muffin before repeating the walk back through the mall and up and down all the escalators again.
At this point, it is a bit past twelve and Keagan is showing some cranky/tired signs so we head for the entrance we came in. Then Keagan says "want to go to a restaurant. Want to have a grilled cheese sandwich." I am not sure there are any places that serve grilled cheese (having only seen a Bertucci's other than the food court) but as we turn down the hall to the entrance we came in, I notice for the first time it is right next to a Joe's American Bar and Grill- which I know had a grilled cheese on their kids menu. I am still concerned Keagan will get too tired for the undertaking, but after confirming with him just outside Joe's, that this is in fact what he wants to do, we head inside.
The host is a very jolly guy who engages Keagan right away and gets him psyched for coloring on their kid place mat. He seats us and Keagan promptly informs him that he would like a grilled cheese for lunch. The host assures us our waitress will be right over. As Keagan gets to work on the coloring, I decide what I am going to have and realize several minutes have gone by without a waitress. I have really two requests from any place that caters to kids at all 1)A cheap and decent kids menu and 2) Fast service. I don't mean that the food needs to be out in 2 minutes, but you have to at least start the process with drinks and such quickly before the kids get a chance to get antsy. I flag the host and he apologizes profusely and in 30 seconds a waiter appears. Keagan knows what to do and announces his wish for a grilled cheese.
The waiter is very nice and also engages Keagan. When my salad arrives Keagan is enthralled by the giant pepper grinder and the waiter gave him a tutorial on the device. Keagan's grilled cheese arrived at the same time, which was a detail I appreciated. I have to say, one reason that brings me back to Joe's is their service. I think their food is also a bit above most American chain restaurants, but with a toddler in tow, good service really makes a difference and their staff always seems a cut above other chains.
I tip the waiter well and get the bill out of the way early, knowing that sometimes a quick getaway is essential with a 2 year old. But that's where I am wrong at this particular lunch. Keagan sat and slowly enjoyed his lunch for OVER AN HOUR. It was amazing. An older couple next to us couldn't believe his behavior and asked how old he was. Keagan has been enjoying the restaurant experience more and more lately, but this was definitely a new record. I loved it! He was such a fun lunch date. I got to sip my drink and slowly eat my salad instead of shoving everything down as fast as possible to avoid a tantrum. We talked about the deer head on the wall (which I said was like a stuffed animal... Keagan knows what a deer is since we get them in our backyard and I wasn't about to tell the truth!). Keagan greatly admired the large, decorated chandeliers as thought they resembled Christmas lights. The kitchen is open to the dining room so we got to enjoy some flaming grill action as well (and a chef who sings occasionally). It was fabulous. I love how Keagan makes me slow down and enjoy the moment in so many things we do together. He forces me to stop and "smell the roses" and for that I am grateful. Of course I also realize that the hatred he had for restaurants a few months ago could return at any moment. But for now, I am loving lunch with Keagan.