Insane Toddler Fit At the Store Results in Strange Purchase

By Amy

O. M. Gosh.  My adorable and sweet toddler just threw the most epic fit at the store.  It was ugly.  I am beyond mortified.

This doomed outing began because the weather was SO glorious today.  I decided to take Hayden on a walk, which he LOVES.  Walking is my prefered form of exercise (sorry, I'm not intense enough to be a marathoner or cross-fitter), but lately, (I'm almost in my third tri) I kinda feel like I've been kicked in the groin whenever I walk for longer than 10 minutes.  However, as with my last pregnancy, I am in a life or death battle with back chub, so exercise I must.  For some reason, my body thinks that, along with the baby in my uterus, I'm carrying a little mini baby in each love handle.  (Oh, and don't forget the baby in each boob...I've gone up 3 freakin cup sizes in 6 months!  It's out of control.)  Ok, ok, I'm not actually carrying 5 babies in my body.  It's probably just that my body is convinced that I will soon become stranded in the Siberian wilderness, and that I and my unborn child will need to SOLEY live off of my muffin top for weeks.  Ugh.  So, I keep trying to walk and do a little exercising most weekdays.  And I'm trying to lay off the Oreos.  

But, lets get back to the store tantrum.

To get myself out the door, I decided we should walk to the thrift store.  (I have a mild obsession--ok, addiction--to thrifting.  We po', but unfortunately, we like to spend money and hunt for treasures, so we end up at lots of garage sales and thrift stores...ha, other peoples' junk is the only treasure we can afford!) 

We had a nice walk, Hayden pointing out trees and dogs, and we enjoyed the sun.  At the thrift store, we're cruising around finding a couple little things here and there...then, I see a bassinet in decent shape for $8!  WAHOO!  I figure I can take it home and clean it...and since we borrowed a bassinet when Hayden was tiny (thanks Sherie!) we've been on the look-out for our own.

So, I'm up at the counter paying, and my son suddenly decided he had reached his limit for shopping and started throwing a fit.  He was crying to get down and push the stroller.  I had to finish paying, so I set him down, telling him to stay by momma...and he immediately runs back behind the counter.  The clerk is getting agitated, so I apologize and run back to grab him.  OOOOOh boy, that made him mad.  So then, I'm trying to hold him while signing my receipt, and he's kicking and screaming bloody murder.  And then we have to take the "sold" sticker all the way to the back of the store to put it on the bassinet since I didn't bring my car and would have to pick it up later.  I let him push the stroller with me, so he was calm for a few minutes, but then on the way back to the front, I am trying to get him to cooperate and not grab crap off of shelves and I am suddenly very hot and very aware of my awkward pregnant coordination and I'm already embarrassed....I just want him back in the stroller.  Like, NOW.  So, I try to man-handle him into the buckles, and he's FA-REAKING OUT.  Back arched, screaming "NOOOO STROLLERRR!!!!"  SO, I tuck him under my arm, crazily try to push the stroller with the other hand, and lug him right out of the store, trying not to make eye contact with the people watching.  It was a LOOOONG walk up that aisle, with his screams echoing through the store.  There was no calming or reasoning with him at this point--I just kept thinking to myself, "JUST GO, GET HIM OUT OF HERE." Everyone else was probably thinking, "Yikes, is she really ready to have another one?"  Oh gosh.  He was WAILING and kicking with snot streaming, and he's so heavy, (he's not really, but 25 pounds of fury is not easy to hold on to) and I'm trying to make my face look like I'm enjoying a pleasant afternoon tea party...but inside I am mortified.  

Good grief.   I'm sure I'll face worse in the future, when I have 3 kids all throwing fits in the store at once and somebody just peed their pants and somebody just puked....but, today it was my first really big store fit and it was not fun.

So, later today I will go pick up the bassinet.  I hope it was worth it.  Also, I ended up buying probably a stupid purchase cause I was going to decide at the counter, but he was bawling and I was panicked, and I just bought the thing.  It's a cool, vintage-y bag with lots of pockets that I thought would be fun as a diaper bag.  But, now that it's home, I realize that it smells reallllly strange.  I have a cold, with some major stuffed-up sinuses, and thrift stores always smell weird, so I wasn't really aware in the store of the stench of old people, bandages, and spilled... something...that is now eeking out of the bag.  Dang it.  I don't know if I can put binkies and bottles for my infant in a bag that may have been soaked in formaldehyde.  Maybe I can clean it.  Hmmmm.

It's cute, right?  Right?  (Friends, I need reassurance here!)  Just... don't... inhale....*gasp*!  Ah well, if it can't clean up nicely, it was only $2.95.

Once we got home, Hayden pitched a fit cause he didn't want to eat lunch, and then, through tears, started begging me for his fuzzy blanket and "Momma, I want seep in cwib!" Poor babe, maybe he's growing or catching my cold, cause he's an hour earlier than I usually put him down for a nap, and he's sobbing like he hasn't slept in weeks.  But, if he wants sleep, he's getting it!  So, I gave him a sippy of milk, sang to him and rubbed his head till he was calm, and then left him to sleep in his room with an empty tummy.  Well, what can you do?  Toddlers.  At least I felt better after the ice cream sandwich and kettle corn.  (Bring on Siberia, my love handles will be ready! Ha!)  

Oy.  It's not like being a SAHM is stressful like working in an E.R., but it comes with it's own kinds of stresses, constant decisions, emergencies, frustrations, angry humans who are beyond any logical thought, and long hours.  So, please tell me about your kids' store fits, so I can laugh and feel better!  Any helpful ideas for dealing with tantrums in public?  And, for those mommas with more than one kiddio, what the crap do you do when you add a crying infant into this mix?  I'm a little nervous about that. 

And while I was typing this I burned my toast for my tuna sandwich.  TWICE.  *sob*  I think I need a nap too.  Seep in cwib, peese!?

PS. Don't forget to SHARE if you have friends who can relate to my pathetic tale! :)  Thanks!

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OH BOY...I Have a Toddler.

By Amy

You guys may remember that I had a hard time adjusting to becoming a mom.  (Please tell me you did too!?)  It was so hard when my little reflux baby screamed all the time and nursing was NOT working and he'd wake all though the night, sometimes, up to 15 times.  (I kept tally one night to prove I wasn't just being dramatic every morning when I was a weepy, hammered, overwhelmed mess.)  

It was hard.  I still feel anxious when I look back on that time.

Life is better now!  :)  There have been challenges for every stage, but really, it's been amazing to watch our baby go from a squalling blob to this little human with his own cool personality!  I'm more in love with him every new word, every little dance, and every time he requests, "Song?" then when we're done with that one, and he demands, "Nother!" 

Ahhhh, so freakin cute.  I kiss the little spot behind his ear alllll day.

And yet, the cuteness of this age comes with tantrums.  Lots.  Of.  TANTRUMS.  But, ya know, it's ok.  We do lots of time-outs, and lots of "Let's go calm down in your room." and, "Are you ready to be happy now?" Sometimes he kicks us or slaps our faces, when he's really wound up.  Ha...I had to haul him out of a store, mid-tantrum, kicking and hollering, for the first time last month!  It's getting more real, the parenting side of it.  I feel like we are shaping this little person now, not just feeding him and keeping him alive.  We're trying to teach him kindness and patience and good manners and how we don't launch ourselves off of tables.  I've learned that now, if my son hears me say, "What the crap!?" he has the ability to repeat it.  (Dang, it's so funny, though!)  I'm also learning that I too, need to be better at staying calm when I'm frustrated.  How can I teach my son self-control and productive communication if I holler when I get upset?  It takes a lot of self-control to stay calm, and sometimes I fail, especially when he is out of control crazy.  And screaming "NO!" in my face.  (Deep breath.)  Having a toddler makes me want to throw a tantrum now and then too.  *sigh.... Not cool.  

He kept wanting ice, so we gave him a cup half-full of crushed ice.  Which he tipped up and promptly dumped in his face.  Please forgive me, I laughed super hard.

So he's developing as a person, and we're developing as parents, and....man, I hope we're doing ok.  Do you always wonder?  Or by number 3 or 4 does parenting become routine?  I always ask myself, "Is this the best way to handle this situation?  I have no stinkin idea."  It's funny the kind of emotions parenthood brings.  I'll be kneeling next to my bed at night, thanking Heavenly Father for my son who brings me SO much happiness and joy, and the love in my heart is so strong that it makes me want to cry.  Then, in that SAME prayer, I'm pleading for charity and guidance when I'm at my wit's end and he's throwing the 100th tantrum of the day and I JUST WANT TO RUN AWAY; my worry and inadequacy for motherhood wells up so strong that it makes me want to cry.  In other words, being a parent makes me emotionally bi-polar.  Ha!  Like my toddler.

....And, out of all his gifts, his FAVORITE present from Christmas was the Goldfish crackers in his stocking.  Ha, figures. 

I was getting ready in the bathroom, I looked down and he had found some "blocks" to stack!  Hmmmm....creative.

But, I'll take all the worry and tantrums and ruined carpet covered-in-a-half-gallon-of-turquoise-paint for the sweetness of this toddler. 

Love him.  

I think I'm gaining the courage for a second go at this parenthood thing.  Cause it reallly scared me for a while.  But now I feel ready to face my fear of the infant months to gain another sweet little person to love as part of our family!  (Oh, and this is not an announcement... haha.. :)

Moms, I think it's ok to get frustrated and overwhelmed.

We're human, after all, and it doesn't mean that we don't fiercely love our kid.  And it doesn't mean that we aren't good moms--even though we're so dang tough on ourselves sometimes that we convince ourselves we're not.

All we can do is our best, pray for some guidance, TRY to act in love even when they aren't being lovable, and savor those heart-is-gonna-burst moments.  And, at the end of a rough day, let it be, and try again tomorrow.

That's what I'm going to try to do for 2014.

Thanks for reading, friends!  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  :)

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