It's Like You Snap Your Fingers...

...and BAM!

LBB grows some more.

And I'm not talking just size wise (although he is now growing like a weed. Just a few months ago he began wearing a 2T...now he's already in a 3T. So much for my "prepared" clothes shopping I did last month.) He's growing "smarts" wise too.

He suddenly picked up beat boxing. You know, like DJ's do? He'll sit there, make all these cool beat-box noises, move his hands around while he does it, and once in a while makes little "wiki wiki" noises. It's the most adorable thing in the world. (But I'll warn you...there's a LOT of spit involved.)

When he's watching Blue's Clues, he is now able to copy EVERY. Single. Thing that Steve does while he sings the Blue's Clues song. He "writes" in his notebook (his hand), does the hand waves, thinks in his thinking chair...it's just insane. A month ago week ago, he wasn't even able to do any of that stuff.

He is chattering like it's nobody's business now (when he wants to, of course.) He likes to tell stories about the ducks he sees, the bike rides he takes, and because he is seriously the sweetest kid in the world, regularly asks "Alright?" if you so much as sneeze, cough, or hiccup. :)

He says sorry. He is working on hugging instead of hitting. He is laughing. Learning. Doing arts and crafts. And "counting" along with us.

I don't know when it happened. Just 2 weeks ago, I was certain that he might be having some issues. And now, not so much. Now we are having a blast watching as his intelligence just blossoms.

His New Obsession

LBB is a boy of obsessions.

He's obessed with trains, tractors, and construction equipment.

He knows what he loves, and he has no problem taking his love to the next level. :)

But we have a new obsession.

Slippers.

He's always been partial to slippers. But, after his trip to the ER (which was accompanied by his puppy slippers), he's been inseparable from his slippers. Thankfully he has 3 pairs, because he does not want to wear shoes. At all.

In the past 3 days, he's worn shoes once...and that was a quick trip to the store, and it was a fight to get him to wear the shoes.

On his guy's night out with Dear Sweet Hubby yesterday, LBB wouldn't even let shoes be an option. So, he wore his Cars slippers out. Dear Sweet Hubby and I have decided that this is not a quirk that we feel is troublesome, so we don't fight him on it.

Sure, we may be giving in. But in the realm of things, him wanting to wear slippers at age 2? Not a big deal. :) So we let him wear them. He wears them in the morning. He wears them out. He wears them in the evening. He wears them to bed. And, if I am stealthy enough when we check on him, I am able to slide them off his little feet.

Do your kids have any quirky little obsessions?

Nerve-wracking

This little guy is a bundle of excitement. You never know what's going to happen.

Sometimes he acts like he is going to happily color a piece of paper (what Mommy doesn't love a new drawing to hang up), and then he ends up coloring all over his face. In 5 seconds.

And then sometimes, the excitement isn't so fun. A few days ago, LBB was having a normal LBB day. Then, he woke up from his nap...and he was just burning up. We took his temp, and he was a very warm 101.3. So, we gave him so tylenol. Got him in just his diaper and some shorts, and worked on getting him cooler. An hour later his fever was up, but not by much, so we waited it out. Bedtime rolled around, and his fever hadn't moved much (just a little upwards), but knowing that our pediatrician isn't concerned until it REALLY spikes, we got him to bed and hoped a good night's sleep would take care of it.

An hour later, we checked on him...and he was laying there. Eyes wide open. Completely in a daze. That is definitely not my LBB. If he is awake, he is moving. I immediately worried. We took his temp...and it had shot up to 103.4. Now, I'm a worrywart. I know that. So we called the pediatrician's triage nurse, and while we  waited (impatiently) for a call back, LBB vomitted ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.

We went straight to the ER. His fever kept spiking, and once he threw up, I didn't care what the nurse said. I wanted to make sure everything was fine. :)

Thankfully, after 2 1/2 hours in the ER, LBB started feeling better on his own. We have no idea what caused the fever. No idea what caused the vomitting. He rested the whole next day and was uncharacteristically calm. He slept on the couch, but by 5pm, he was back to normal and playing choo-choos and giggling away. :)

Thank goodness.

It is nerve wracking when your little one feels so cruddy. That's the highest his fever has ever gone. Something was just weird about it. But, no matter the cause, I'm just glad that he's a-ok now. All day yesterday he was his normal LBB self, and that makes this Mommy very happy.

I like LBB's excitement, but I could pass on the fevers and trips to the ER. :)

Letting Him Help

One thing I'm discovering about this whole "terrific two's" stage:

Helping is fun.

LBB adores helping. He adores being part of what Mommy and Daddy are doing. And, he adores feeling like a big boy.

The other day, he jumped at the chance to help make orange juice. :) I showed him how to push the orange slice down, and he had so much fun "squeezing" his orange juice. (I definitely had to help though to make sure we got all the juice out.)

Now, each morning when he wants his orange juice, he quickly drags a chair into the kitchen to help.

The same day he helped make his orange juice, he enthusiastically joined me in the kitchen to prepare dinner. While the 30 minutes or so of dinner prep usually involve him being very rambunctious and all over the house, this time, he spent the whole time in the kitchen with me. Completely focused. And very content. He helped put the chopped potatoes in the bowl, and loved helping with the other prep. LBB is very good about knowing what is "HOT" and what is "OWIE", and we're very vigilant about making sure all possible dangers are out of reach.

And of course, anything that involves helping with dirt is a BIG hit among the two year old crowd in our home.

We started our tomato, carrot, cilantro, and basil seeds yesterday, and LBB got a big kick out of pouring the dirt in the trays and pinching the seeds and putting them in the pods. I have a feeling this summer I will have a LOT of help in tending our garden. :)

Sometimes it's easy as parents to discredit how much it means to toddlers to let them help. They are budding little spirits, so full of life and energy, and so very curious about the world around them. Letting them get dirty, have fun, and dig their tiny hands into projects is important to them (and is part of what makes being a parent so wonderful.)

Letting your toddler know that you enjoy having them help is one of the greatest things we can do for them. Letting them know that you believe in their growing capabilities begins now, but doesn't stop even when they are older. And letting them have that quality time where they are learning from you? Well, it doesn't get any better than that.

Sometimes, it's easy to describe this stage as "terrible two's", but it's not that at all. Sure, there are those tantrums and the stubbornness, but all in all, this is such a wonderful time of tremendous growth. It's a chance for us as parents to really get to know our little ones and see what makes them tick.

Often times, when we're having a cranky day, it's because we spent way too much time sitting and far too little time exploring. Exploring the world around us. Exploring nature. Exploring art. And even exploring new ways of playing with the same "old" trains and tractors. :)

Let's learn a lesson from our toddlers...never stop being curious. Explore, explore, explore.

And Sometimes I'm Amazed

Well,let me rephrase that.

All the time I'm amazed. :)

LBB keeps growing by the minute. And today, as he worked on an ABC puzzle, we handed him the letter "D", and said the name. Then he said to us:

"D. Duh. Duh. Duck."

Learning letters. Learning phonetic sounds.

Sigh.

1 year ago, I was excited that he was walking running and that he was beginning to talk more. 2 years ago, I was in awe over his sweet smile and waiting for him to roll over.

And now he's on the brink of learning his letters. Asking questions. Learning his colors.

And I'm learning that time goes much too quickly. Much, much, much too quickly.

So, tonight, when it was nearing 11:30 and he was STILL up and not ready for bed, instead of feeling a little too tired to enjoy the moment...I snuggled up with with near 2 1/2 year old, watched Dinosaur Train, and made roaring noises while we learned about Pliosauruses.

It's awesome being a Mommy, no matter how fast the days fly by. :)

A Little Bit of Our Day...

...or otherwise known as "Toddler is Cooped Up and Mommy is Running Out of Ways to Entertain Him."

First of all, 3 time outs in 15 minutes. When you figure that his timeouts are 2 minutes each, well, that's a whopping 9 minutes of non-timeout time. 9 minutes broken down into about 3 minutes of behaving, 3 minutes of winding up to misbehave, and 3 minutes of him hitting me. Sigh. I should've known we'd regret that gluten-loaded soft pretzel at Target today. (Remind me to post about our gluten-free journey someday.)

And, phrases like "Don't hit your activity table with the plastic spoon." "We don't throw dinosaurs across the room." "Stop blowing spit bubbles all over Mommy's jeans." And my favorite: "Watch where you swing your lightsaber."

Ah, the days of toddlerhood. :) They are so wonderful...and yet, so challenging. Most days our house stays pretty darn clean, but today it seriously looks like a tornado went through the house and destroyed everything in it's path. (Despite my constant efforts to keep cleaning.)

He's been playing with his kitchen a lot today, but mostly we've had a pretty lazy day filled with not doing a whole lot of exciting things...but that's ok. We're all entitled to a day like that...I should've known how the day would have gone when I didn't even make the beds. Haha.

Alright. Time to go...I've got a toddler that is attempting to make himself into a bridge between the couch and coffee table. :)

To Infinity and Beyond

photo from disney.com

LBB is a Pixar nut. Words can't begin to describe how much he loves Cars, and now his love has extended to Toy Story.

And his favorite?

Buzz, of course. :) My sweet little almost 2 year old does a wonderful buzz impersonation where he sets the "laser" on his arm, and then proceeds to flying around the house making whooshing sounds. It's adorable. And when he is watching Toy Story, which is now a daily thing, he gets excited when Buzz is shown for the first time. And at the part where Buzz realizes he is a toy and that he can't fly, my sweet LBB says in the most sympathetic voice: "Buzz?"

It's adorable...I love seeing LBB turn into a little boy who VROOOMS like Lightening McQueen and flies like Buzz Lightyear. It's all those little stepping stones that show his imagination is beginning to blossom. There's days that I'm very nostalgic that he is getting so big so fast, and then there are those moments when I can't do anything but stop and smile when he pretends he is Buzz.

LBB is NOT Happy With Me

I made him go to bed. On time.

And, despite his repeated efforts, with a minimal amount of bedtime tv.

Sigh.

He's been playing this game the past few nights where we give him his bedtime snack, he doesn't touch it, and then as we say "It's time for bed" (with multiple "warnings" in between), he immediately starts fussing that he's hungry and wants his snack. So...we give in. What parent wants to send their kid to bed hungry?

Tonight, I let him have his favorite snack. He ate one bite and then ignored it, but as soon as I said bedtime, guess who was starving. And for toast. Because, you know, you have to cook toast.

So, I brought him in his room. Gave him a piece of toast, and said we could read a story while he ate his toast. LBB was not a fan of that. But, after 5 minutes of yelling in his room, he is now quiet.

He's either asleep (which is very possible...his eyes were closed as he was yelling), or he's eating the piece of toast I left in there for him. Sigh. I hate rough nightimes. :-(

But, I know he's just testing us to see what we'll let him get away with...but I can say, I do hope he sleeps through the night tonight. For some reason he's reverting back to waking up multiple times a night. Yawn. This momma is beat.

What bedtime stall tactics do your kiddos have? I thought I was good at stalling for bedtime when I was little, but LBB has me beat. :)

I Think Too Much

And when I think too much, my brain starts to argue with itself, and I end up being up at 1:15 am listening to the two sides of my brain argue back and forth.

Sheesh. Quiet down, thoughts. ;)

Well, really, I'm up right now because LBB was fussing just a bit and I'm making sure he gets back to sleep ok. Before that, I was just getting ready to stop spending way too much time on pinterest and head to bed. Really. I was. (OK...I may be fibbing. If you hear of a "Pinterest Anonymous" group let me know...I might know someone who could use a little help.)

But, then LBB fussed because he fell asleep in front of his bedroom door, which I am sure is not comfortable after a while. The worst thing? He CHOOSES to fall asleep there. We put him back in bed, and he immediately tried going back to the door (while he was still mostly asleep, mind you). He even managed to argue that he wanted to sleep by the door.

Sorry, Buster. Not gonna happen.

And trying to get him back in bed is not easy when he falls asleep by the door. Mostly because he literally falls asleep-RIGHT BY THE DOOR! As in, most of the time his sweet little face is 1 inch from it. So, thankfully I am still pretty skinny and can squeeze my way through a 5 inch opening (I think I may try out for Cirque de Soleil...I'm sure that is one of their acts), because if not he'd be sleeping by the door everynight. I always have to stick my arm in, turn and scootch him over a bit without waking him, make sure his face isn't pushed against the door, and then shimmy through the doorway. I don't know why he likes to sleep there...I'm sure it partly has to do with the fact that all his Cars are in their door organizer and he loves to drive them around while he falls asleep. I think it may also be due to the fact that he can then hear Mommy and Daddy while he nods off. And...he's LBB and LBB does things a little differently sometimes.

Do your kiddles have any strange sleeping habits? Please make me feel better here and leave a comment! :)

But for now, I think LBB is asleep, so I'm going to go hit the sack too. Hopefully my brain decides to cooperate...I'm tired of listening to it argue back and forth. ;) Goodnight!

(And I suppose since it is technically Sunday, I should do my thankful thought....but I'm tired. And if I blog it right now, it will be "I'm thankful for my pillow, my blanket, and my fat white cat that likes to cuddle up at bedtime." I think that's a pretty good thankful thought, but I'll get back on here later today when I'm not half asleep.)

I'm Taking An Internet Break...

...but only for 4 days. I just have lots I want to get done, and I just need some decompression time. :) You know how that goes. My project list for Christmas gifts for LBB has been continually growing, and before I keep adding to it (darn you, Pinterest), I need to get a bunch of the ones I have started done!

But, I didn't want to skip any of my thankful thoughts for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. (My self-imposed internet boycott ends Wednesday evening...I'll be back then.) I'm going to do them right now so I stay caught up.

Thankful Thought No. 6: I'm thankful for the toddler boy giggles filling my house right now, and Dear Sweet Hubby's laughter right along with him. They are goofing off right now and being complete goofs. It's so fun to watch them.

Thankful Thought No. 7: I'm thankful for my pretty, bright red KitchenAid mixer. I bought it 8 years ago, and am still in love with it. :) Is it wrong to love a kitchen appliance? I don't think so.

Thankful Thought No. 8: I'm thankful for toddler conversations. :) I love that LBB is at the stage where he is beginning to converse with us. He'll point to something, I'll answer him, and he'll respond. I love it.

I've been thinking alot today about how this age is such a fun age...I love watching LBB grow into a little guy (even though it makes me super sentimental.) He is chatty, brave, courageous, creative, outgoing, funny (make that hilarious), and troublesome all in one little package. It's wonderful.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to not going online...although it will be a bit odd. Have a great few days and I'll "see" you on Wednesday!

Happy Saturday!

Thankful Thought #5:

I'm thankful that Dear Sweet Hubby is leaving work a bit early today!!!! I love having him home, so I NEVER complain when he tells me he scheduled himself to leave earlier than normal, even if it's only 1 hour. :)

Not only is it a treat for me, but it's a treat for LBB because there are more hours before bedtime. Tonight they are going to go play outside a bit, and then we have a few things we need to do out and about. Nothing exciting, but relaxing and wonderful at the same time. :)

Anyhoo...today is laundry day, and since we live in an apartment, we do laundry in the laundry room. Luckily, the laundry room is literally right down the hall from our door, so it's never a hassle. LBB brought his Little People dump trucks down to push around while I put the laundry in the washer, and then when we put the clothes in the dryer, he checked the lint trap, put it back in the dryer after he tapped it out over the trash can (even though there wasnt't anything in it), and then closed the door when the dryer was full. Gosh I love that boy...he constantly takes my breath away. :) It's really the simplest things, isn't it?

Those are the ones that make life wonderful.

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up #4

Good evening! LBB started the week of strong, despite the fact that he had a low grade fever the first few days, and then lo and behold, that little fever turned into a small case of croup! He went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot to help him get better quickly, and already today he seems to be better! But, despite the croup and all, we still had a wonderful week full of learning!!!

This week we learned:

• A few new words, including "Boo!" (which we had been working on all week, and then as soon as PaPa said it, he had it down like a pro) and copter (for helicopter.) I'm amazed at his vocabulary improvement!


• We began singing the ABC song everynight at bed, and he loves it. The other night I forgot and he made sure he pointed to his ABC poster and said "Y." He sings along the best he can and it's adorable.


• That pumpkins are fun to paint. Fun to stick Mr. Potato Head pieces in. And fun to catergorize pumpkin guts from pumpkin seeds. :) He also put some felt pumpkin face stickers on his small bedroom pumpkin and while the eyes are off-kilter, he had the general idea, and I can unabashedly say that it's the cutest little goofy pumpkin I've ever seen.


• That TV can be an addiction. That it can be overcome. And then it can be brought right back in when LBB is supposed to be getting lots of rest so he doesn't agitate his croup. Soooo...we're back at square one, but that's ok.


• How to jump! LBB can get 2 or 3 inches off the ground on a regular basis, and he LOVES jumping.


• How to wake up sleeping people and kitties. He comes right up to you, stands in front of your face, says (in toddler speak) "Get up", and jumps up and down. I love that little guy. However, Cat #1 may not appreciate the new skill as much as we do.

You know, I really feel like I'm forgetting some things, but to be dead honest, this Mommy brain is completely fried from the lack of sleep over the past few days of LBB's sickness. Dear Sweet Hubby has been fighting a cold as well, so while he has been helping out when he can between feeling icky himself and work, I have been mostly on my own...minus last night when my wonderful parents stopped by the house, bringing soup, and then coming back when LBB woke up realizing he had missed PaPa and GiGi. He screamed and cried until they got here...and then he proceeded to only want me to hold him. Ah, toddlerhood.

So, for now, while I should techinically go get some rest before Dear Sweet Hubby gets home from work, I am going instead to waste LOTS of time pinning TONS of stuff on pinterest. :) But, I'm going to use the excuse: "I'm getting lots of ideas for preschool" and "I'm getting inspiration for house decorations" and of course, "This would be a good Christmas gift to make for someone."

I am officially addicted to Pinterest.

Have a good night everyone!

I literally unplugged the television...

...and hid it in my room.

LBB has a slight addiction with TV. Ok. I correct myself. EXTREME obsession with TV. So, on Saturday, I called our cable provider and cut us down to basic cable. (I realized we spent too much time in the evening watching shows when we could be doing other things after LBB went to bed.) On the plus side, hello more time together, less annoying background noise, and about $100 extra a month. Sounds good to me.

And then, this morning, LBB woke up raring to go. At the lovely hour of 4 am. See, LBB doesn't care that we practically eliminated cable, because LBB has a plethora of DVDs to watch...and watch them he does. Now, I can defend myself (slightly) and say that all but one that he regularly watches(Cars, of course) is educational. And of course, I will also state that the majority of the time it was on as background noise.

HOWEVER...

I'm not a big fan of being woken up at 4 am to watch "MiMi's" (firetrucks). I always said when I worked at a big orange retail store that once I quit there I would not wake up before 6 am unless it was for a very good reason.

Firetrucks are not a very good reason, unless they are in my parking lot putting out a fire.

And it was then, as LBB sat yelling because I wouldn't turn that black rectangle that sits prevalently in the living room, that I was convinced LBB had an addiction. And as Mommy, it's my job to reign it in. I tried distracting him. Calming him down. And then, after loads of him yelling, I stood up, disconnected the cables, unplugged it, and put it in my room. And here it sits, unplugged and feeling slightly neglected. :)

For a whole entire day. That's right. LBB went a full day without one single moment of television. And oh, goodness, it was wonderful.

He was less cranky (although he is cranky due to a lovely 2 year molar trying to pop through). He played ALL day. He laughed. He danced. He painted. He played by himself off and on, giving me time to organize my entire craft closet. He learned how to jump. He read TONS of books. He took a very decent 2 1/2 hour nap that Mommy used to catch up on some sleep herself. He had loads of fun in preschool. And he even snuggled with me on multiple occasions. :)

Now...this is only for a few days that the TV hides out in our room. Once we know he's gotten it under wraps a bit, we'll put it back out there, and really stick to our guns on TV time. Some rules we decided on:

1. I am going to make a TV cover. Just something that covers the screen (and doesn't look hideous.) When the TV is covered up, no TV. Period.



2. 30 minutes before dinner. Most days, LBB's choice of what he watches, but if we checked out a DVD that has to do with school that day, then Mommy chooses. And after the 30 minutes, TV is turned off, cover put back on, and that is that.



3. On certain occasions, TV can be a reward...like "LBB, please do such and such." And if he does, 15 minutes of whatever he wants to watch.
   


4. One episode of Veggie Tales on Sunday. That can be his "Saturday morning" cartoons. :)



5. And last, but certainly not least...family movie night once a week. Mommy, Daddy, and LBB have yummy snacks, put our PJ's on, and watch a fun movie. Even if it is Cars each week, that is fine.

I'm not kidding when I tell you that he would easily watch Cars 2 times a day, his Mighty Machines movies for the first 2 hours he was awake, and then random things in between. He would play sometimes while he watched, but not like he should have been. I love watching him learn from these shows (like I Wanna Be a Fireman and whatnot), but it has to be in moderation!!!!

Today was wonderful. It was nice not having it on. And when I told Dear Sweet Hubby that I had told LBB that he could watch TV a little before bedtime, even he said "You know, why don't we try to pass on it tonight." :) (My Dear Sweet Hubby also has a weakness for television.) I'm so glad we did. LBB was read two books by Daddy, snuggled on the couch, and had his yogurt. A wonderful ending to a wonderful day. :)

Fingers crossed tomorrow goes just as well. :)

And Onto The Newest Challenge

Yesterday we made a trip to Target. At Target, we purchased some Berry Fruit Squeezers. Some individually packed Annie's snack crackers. A bin. Some wrapping paper. A pack of party sized play-doh. 2 packs of training pants...and LBB picked out...

His very own potty chair.

The list I wrote up there, minus the training pants and potty chair, are all for his rewards bucket. We wrapped up some Hot Wheels we had been saving for his 3rd birthday. Dropped in the snacks, playdoh, and cars, and now he has handy little rewards bin just waiting for the first time he goes potty.

I can't believe my LBB is in the realms of this whole potty-training thing! What is mindboggling is that just 2 weeks ago he was showing a few signs, but I didn't think he was this close. And then, on Wednesday, he walked up to me, gave me some indications that he had to go potty, but in a moment of "duh-momminess", I didn't pay attention. :( Not even 5 minutes later he walked by me with a aroma that only indicates one thing. Boy, did I kick myself for not listening to him and getting him to his little bitty potty chair! But, all things turn out good, and the next day Dear Sweet Hubby, LBB, and I were at Target getting prepared for the newest stage in our family life.

Today, while he didn't go potty in the toilet, LBB did spend some quality time in the potty and is learning when his body is telling him that he needs to go. He did go in the bathroom...but not in the toilet. :) But, he is excited about it. Being very patient (which is not his normal state of being). And is trying so hard. We're going to take it at his speed and not push him, but at the same time we don't want to be too relaxed and not make it a priority since he is showing readiness signs.

So, wish us luck in this new journey! We are keeping our fingers crossed that things go smoothly, but also have prepared ourselves for the worst of the worst if that happens (but I'm really hoping it doesn't! LOL!)

One Going on Terrible Twos

My goodness.

If the terrible two's are worse than this...I'm going to be eligible for sainthood or something. :)

Is it normal for a one-year old to throw a fit that can rival that of a three year old? I'm not sure if it is or not, but it's like someone flipped a switch on LBB. Two weeks ago, he was a sweet, semi-calm (he still had his moments), fairly well behaved little guy. (OK...he did have some issues causing trouble, but in comparison to now, that was nothing. LOL.)

Then BAM! He went from that to throwing himself on the floor, arching his back, screaming, and kicking when he doesn't get his way...which is apparently a lot in his opinion. Up until this evening, all the tantrums were at home.

And then, we went to Target.

And apparently, LBB did not want to do any more Christmas shopping for Daddy. So, he started fussing the moment I put him in the cart. By the time we got to the back of the store, it was full fledged crying. And me, being the softie I am, decided to pick him up out of the cart and push the cart all while holding 25 pounds of toddler.

However, that only pleased him for another 5 minutes or so...by which point he was now squirming, trying to flip out of my arms, and clearly getting frustrated. I let him walk a bit, since apparently that was what he wanted and he felt it necessary to show all the other Target patrons his newfound independence. And his newfound ability to bonk his head on displays.

At which point...

...I did what any good mother would do, but what any independent, stubborn, strong-willed toddler boy would find inapprehensible. I tried putting him back in the cart.

And that unleashed it...the first full-fledged temper tantrum that LBB has thrown in public. I'm talking red faced, screaming, kicking tantrum. Pushing his feet against the cart in an effort to evade my efforts. And, once I got him buckled in, screaming so loud that we made the people in a ten-foot vicinity practially put rocket boosters on their feet and leave the area.

Serious. :)

I was that mom with the screaming kid in the store that couldn't do a whole lot more than try to gently tell him that everything was ok and that he had to sit in the cart.

Thankfully, however, LBB decided within 1 minute or so that his screaming was not getting him anywhere, and had gone back to peaceful, pleasant LBB. Whew.

Needless to say, while I should be cleaning and finishing up a few last minute Christmas gifts, I am sitting in front of this computer, drinking a nice cold Pepsi, and letting my brain "defrag" from a day's worth of temper tantrums. :)