A day in the life...

of Jonah and Elisabeth's mom. I took Jonah to a kids hair cuttery, anticipating a difficult time. Boy was I right. Jonah screamed and cried all through his haircut. I think there were more tears and snot on his cover-up than hair. I had to hold him in the chair trying to make him happy with crackers and candy. Nothing worked until near the end, I ask him if he wants ice cream, which of course he says yes. He continues crying and fighting though until we give him a lolly pop and another lady comes over and starts blowing bubbles. Then he settles down enough for the beautician to clean up around his ears and neck. After Jonah calmed down, Elisabeth, who has been sitting quietly in her carseat this whole time, decides she isn't happy and starts crying. So I pay and we get loaded back up in the car and I realize I now have to find a place to get ice cream because I said he could have some and I don't want to be a liar. So we are in route to the grocery store and I start thinking, "I could just get ice cream at the grocers and save a stop," but Elisabeth is crying hysterically in the car seat to the point that I think she is going to pass out or something. So I decide to stop somewhere for ice cream, which will give me an opportunity to calm her down. So we stop at this place I see along the way that has ice cream in the title. The nice gentlemen behind the counter says they don't have ice cream but haven't had enough money to change the sign (in that moment I am reminded of the financial crisis going on in the nation - easy to forget about when you have two kids). I see that he does have frappacinos and I figure that's close enough to ice cream that Jonah won't know the difference and I would really enjoy that as well. So we get our order and sit down. I nurse Elisabeth and at the same time give Jonah a lesson in sharing as he keeps saying "mine" and won't take turns sipping on the frappacino - little stinker. (By the way, that is the best frappacino I have ever tasted.) So we finish up and I manage to get everyone loaded back in the car after having to pry some toy Dinosaurs from Jonah's grip and carry him to the car and then change his diaper - just a wet one - Thank God. Elisabeth, of course, wakes up in the car seat on the way to Food Lion and isn't real happy but she's not screaming quite as bad as earlier. We arrive at the grocery store and I have to think through how I'm going to get myself, an active toddler, a baby, my wallet, and my coupons in and out of the store. I decide to put the baby in a snuggli on my chest as she obviously hates the car seat. I decide on the huge cart that's shaped like a race car to put Jonah in as well as my diaper bag and coupon binder. Jonah wants in the big basket area instead of by the steering wheel. So here I go through Food Lion with a baby on my chest and Jonah in the cart and me trying to keep him from throwing the cantaloupe like a ball or eating the grapes that I haven't paid for yet. People who see me look on with pity or like I'm crazy, but on we go, some people going out of their way to "make way" for us and to help us get checked out. We manage to get back to the car and this older gentlemen comes over to help me load the car and to take my cart back for me. Elisabeth is freaking out again through this process. I thank the man and take Elisabeth to the driver's side with me and nurse her again until she falls asleep. I managed to get her strapped back into her carseat without waking her up. She stayed peaceful for the drive home while Jonah watched a DVD on the portable DVD player - so I spent a very peaceful 10 minute drive back home. Elisabeth wakes up as car pulls in the garage. I get groceries and kids inside and manage to get the little girl down for a nap, feed myself and Jonah ......there is more but they are both sleeping now. And so I thank God for giving me grace for today and for Elisabeth sleeping 7 hours straight last night - you're much less likely to flip out during all the craziness if you're well rested. :)