Just as I suspected, things did not go as planned.
On the 20 minute drive, Coltrane held onto his Elmo and was happy/excited to see real life Elmo.
As soon as we parked (which I of course did not have any cash on me and the attendant so kindly told me not to worry about it so I thought oh yeah, this is a sign, this will be a glorious time together with the little one) and I asked for my lip gloss back (yes, I said lip gloss) IT began.
And he stayed in this mood until intermission. We're talking, him running away and me chasing him, like out of a movie, him scratching me so that I will have scars, limp body so I can barley hold onto him etc etc etc. Talk about red face and hot flashes! When I woke from my embarrassment coma I got him a sno-cone and things mellowed out for the remainder of the show. He even danced up the stairs on our way out!
Naturally getting out of the parking lot was a logistical nightmare and Coltrane was hungry, overwhelmed and tired. Therefore crying ensued the entire hour it took us to get home. And once home, he was being the sweet Coltrane, the only way I could convince Kyle that he had indeed had a long meltdown was by my scratches. I'm surprised it wasn't more obvious with my frazzled hair do, red face and the speed at which I poured a large glass of wine...
Looking back, I'm glad that we did go because there were some stolen moments where we would both smile at each other with wide eyes as we watched the characters come to life and dance the night away.