We are spending the weekend in the Smokies.  Specifically here:

I thought it might present some good photo opportunities for our Christmas card photo of the girls.  As I was patting myself on the back for thinking ahead, I loaded the kids into the car to head to the mall.  I thought maybe some coordinating PJs would be cute in the cabin setting for the photo.  I found a parking spot and in the time it took me to struggle the stroller out of the back of the car and get it open, another woman pulled in, parked, got out and was inside the mall. I didn’t even have a child out of the car yet.  That is okay – my life is full of laughter and baby smiles even if it takes me 10 minutes to get the stroller out and set up.

I get the kids into the stroller and head inside.  Once we enter, Sabrina begins demanding crackers and Tessa starts to cry.  Not to be deterred, I gave Sabrina some goldfish and hoped Tessa would fall asleep quickly.  I only intended to be in the mall for less than an hour.  I had parked well away from the stores I wanted to check out (I’m not a fan of the mall and have no idea where things are located inside).  We finally get to the first store and Tessa takes it up a notch.  She is now sobbing.  I think I can get in and out of the store quickly having forgotten that this childrens’ store isn’t designed for people with kids – there is no room between the racks for strollers.  Tessa is so upset that I leave the store.  I get her out to comfort her.  Sabrina has finished her crackers at this point and begins demanding more.  I put Tessa back in the stroller and she begins screaming again.  I try to run into 1 more store only to exit immediately because I can’t look at anything with Tessa screaming.  So I start the long trek back to the exit.

For some reason, everyone feels the need to comment on my screaming infant and whining toddler.  People smirked or smiled or ahhh’ed.  One woman commented “Someone isn’t having fun at the mall today.”  You think?  Because I am having a ball.  And one of the guys at the kiosk that sells the clothes that soak up a 2 liter of Coke steps in front of me and says “Excuse me ma’am, could I…”  I looked at him and said “You’ve got to be kidding me” and blew past him.

So a big FAIL on the attempt to pick up outfits for the photo.  The question is, am I brave enough to try again tomorrow?

I finally figured it out.  Sabrina ate a good sized breakfast with no prodding on my part.

The morning started as many other mornings have.  As I was changing Sabrina’s diaper, I asked her what she wanted for breakfast.  She said she wanted banana, eggs, toast and coffee.  (I vetoed the coffee request as I do every morning.  I figured we should wait until she is potty trained before beginning her first addiction.)  She has taunted me this way before – acting as though she will actually eat the requested foods only to laugh maniacally and say “Silly mommy.”  This morning, I was too tired to play breakfast games.  I gave Sabrina her banana while I made eggs and toast.

Most moms of 2 year olds know that toddlers will eat all sorts of things off of your plate that they will never eat off of their own plates.  Moms also know that at a certain point, a toddler will no longer allow you to feed her because she wants to do it herself.  With both of these things in mind, I sat down with the plate of eggs and toast.  I took a bite of each and Sabrina promptly starting saying “bite please”.  So I fed her a bite of eggs off my fork and gave her 1/2 the slice of toast from my plate.  She continued requesting bites until she had eaten 2 eggs and a slice of toast.  She didn’t even realize she had eaten her entire breakfast with me feeding her. Not once did I say “Eat your breakfast.”

Score for November: Momma: 1 Toddlerhood: 237.

*Monday morning trivia – source of the title quote?

We all make typos but if you are sending something out for printing or putting it up for the public to see – ask someone to proof read it!

This sign went up 2 weeks ago at the development next to mine.  There is one at each entrance.  I want to call and ask if I can pay for an “all brick” home with “real money”.

I think this is my favorite:

They should stick to reading because their writing isn’t so good:

Talk amongst yourselfs:

At least they spelled “balloon” correctly:

I’m smiling because YOU’RE a moron for not getting someone to proof read it first:

Happy Friday ya’ll.

45 years after Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech, many of his hopes were realized – with the highest voter turn out in 100 years electing Obama.

But we still have fights to fight in our country.  We are still legislating hatred and intolerance.

Proposition 8 passed in California banning same sex marriage.

Arizona and Florida also passed laws stating that marriage is a union between 1 man and 1 woman.

And Arkansas passed a law banning gay adoption.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 45 years to see the error of denying the rights of section of the American population.

For me.  I need a responsible adult who will listen to my plans for the day and then smack me.  My moms club decided to have a zoo outing today.  I thought that sounded great despite my exhausted, frazzled state.  I thought that Tessa would sleep through it despite the fact that she is determined the prove the books wrong – she don’t need no stinking 16 hours of sleep per day.  And I thought Sabrina would have fun despite her spectacular need to be very 2 right now.

Want to guess who enjoyed this beautiful fall day at the zoo? (Fall – pffft – it is 76 degrees here today.)

Perhaps Tessa?

Nope.  She screamed from the moment we walked through the gates until we stepped foot into the parking lot to find the car at which time she promptly fell asleep.

Sabrina?

Wrong again.  She spent the entire 2 hours whining for fruit snacks and crackers because she equates the stroller with the snacks I used to keep her quiet during 9 months of doctors appointments while I was pregnant.

Perhaps I enjoyed walking through the lovely zoo in this wonderful weather?

Does this look like the face of a happy momma?  No.  This is a mom who is vowing to not leave the house with both children again until April.

I think perhaps the animals were enjoying the day.  The giraffe kept coming closer – I think he wanted to see what that screeching was coming from the stroller.

And the elephant seemed to be enjoying a nice drink of water.

Today was one of those days where they are lucky to be so cute.  I think we will not get more ambitious than the grocery store for the foreseeable future.

Thanks for the love.  I can’t imagine how women got through these little emotional crises before the internet.  We made it through Sunday and Monday without needing to supplement so maybe Saturday was a fluke or maybe I overreacted.  Tessa continues to be impossibly unhappy in the evening but otherwise fine.  My main frustration is that just when I seem to get a handle on things she changes the rules again.  So just when I start to have hope for things leveling out she snatches that hope away.  But I am sure that is par for the course so I’m just telling myself that it will start to get easier soon.  I just hope that soon is weeks and not months.  I miss participating in my life instead of just surviving.

I cried last night.  Tessa had her first bottle of formula and I cried.  I cried because I felt like a failure.  I cried because the under lying feeling of relief made me feel guilty.

I’m not done nursing but apparently I am going to have to suppliment with formula because supply isn’t meeting demand.  Yes, I’m fortunate to have nursed exclusively for 3 months with little trouble.  Yes, I am fortunate that she tolerated the formula.  Yes, it means a little more freedom to let Steve take some night feedings.  Yes, Sabrina was exclusively formula fed and is incredibly happy and healthy.  No, I don’t think there is anything wrong with formula.  No, I’m not in love with nursing – I do it because it is best for her.  But it doesn’t change the fact that I feel like i failed Tessa last night.  And it doesn’t change the fact that I worry she has gone hungry when I thought she was just fussy.  Nor does it change the fact that I feel a sense of loss.

If I read this post on another blog, I would immediately assure the mom that there was no shame in supplimenting and that she had done great nursing exclusively for 3 months.  And I would believe those things.  But I guess I hold myself to a different standard because it doesn’t feel okay.

She doesn’t look any worse for it.

And Sabrina made me laugh.  She wanted “Nina hat meow” when we went out for breakfast and to run some errands. Yesterday’s ensemble: