So how exactly are you supposed to plan what to wear when you have a high of 80 one day and a low of 33 the next day??!!

All of our Christmas shopping is done.  Everything is wrapped and ready to put under the tree (which we won't get until after Thanksgiving!)  Every year I make sure to get my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving.  Why?  Because I can't stand waiting in lines with two fussy kiddos and fighting over parking spots with thousands of other angry and irritable customers.  I like to avoid that particular "christmas spirit".  But I did have to run to Costco for toilet paper and blueberries yesterday, and to return one item.  The line for returns was out the door; literally.  We waited forever to return a pesky little thing worth $13.50.  Then I raced through the store for my toilet paper and frozen blueberries.  Costco does NOT have an express lane!  I only had two items, but found myself standing in line behind people who were buying half the store's supply of turkey, cranberries, and dishes for Thanksgiving.  Some even had the flat carts piled high with hundreds of items.  sigh.  This is why I do not shop this time of year. Finally, I found myself second in line.  But then some lady, by herself, without fussy kids, tapped me on the shoulder and said "Excuse me, since I have only one thing, would it be okay if I go in first?"  I stared at her wide eyed for a minute, Caleb melting down into further depths of insanity, Jackson chewing at his clothes because he was so hungry, blueberries melting into a puddle of purple and running down the cart and onto the floor.  Lady, I only have two things and I didn't cut line in front of 8 other people - despite the fact that I have two kiddos bordering on nuclear meltdowns here.  Really?!!  The sense of importance and entitlement this lady must have.  I let her go ahead of me, grudgingly.  Be sure to steer clear of Costco the week of Thanksgiving.

I ventured into GAP today, armed with a 40% off coupon and planning to do some Christmas shopping.  After I found what I needed, I felt Baby GAP beckoning me to come find out what little girls are wearing this season.  Grinning from ear to ear, I wandered around sighing over all the frills and ruffles.  (something about little girl's clothes has always given me misty eyes)  I found a beautiful, exquisite dress. I can't wait to see our precious darling in it!

In the checkout line, I was standing behind a young girl/lady with her hair braided in pigtails.  She was stylishly dressed and super skinny.  Her arms were full of baby clothes.  She must be buying for nieces and nephews, I thought.  Then she turned and I saw the belly.  Whoa! It was clear enough that she was pregnant, so I chanced the question: "When are you due?" "Next month," She said with a weary smile.  I was about to say how good she looked for being 8 months pregnant, but then she came back with "But it's twins." (shocking! I tell you, this girl did NOT look 8 months pregnant, let alone twins!!!)  I asked what she was having.  "A boy and a girl...but I already have twin girls."  (scary)  "How old are the twins?" I asked. "Fourteen months".  (Let that sink in for a minute...this girl is going to have four children in fifteen months!) I know a couple of friends who have had their kids 15 months apart, and they talk about how hard that is.  I cannot begin to imagine FOUR kids, one and under!!  I guess I must have been speechless, because she said "Well, we weren't really expecting to get pregnant so quickly...twins was a double blow" Her mom was standing next to her and said "Twins don't even run in the family!"  I bet they'll think *twice* before trying again.

I wasn't always bordering on the brink of insanity.  It wasn't too long ago that I really had it all together.  I successfully managed a booming and well-respected business, counseled others in organizational skills, and drove a pretty cool automobile that would NOT seat an entire soccer team, and me, comfortably.  I enjoyed television shows that were not hosted by singing vegetables or a purple dinosaur.  I never found the milk in the pantry, and I never experienced the sheer panic of trying to remember whom I was calling before the voice on the other end said, "Hello?" Yesterday, I placed an order by phone.  When the sales lady asked me for my address, I had to put her on hold.  I absolutely could not recall my own address.  It did finally come to me as I was reaching for the phone book to look it up.  Recently, I actually waited in line at the bank drive-through, pulled up to the window, and stared blankly at the teller as I said, "I have no idea why I'm here.  I'm supposed to be going to the post office."  She looked very concerned as I drove off.  What happened?  The stick turned blue.  Welcome to motherhood!

-Ginger Plowman
"Don't Make me Count to Three"

True confessions from Caleb tonight:
"I don't wanna go to bed.  I wanna stay awake.  I'm gonna be bad.  I'm gonna go downstairs and do really bad things. (sigh)  I don't want to, but that's just the way it is.  I'm bad, when the truth comes out. I'm probly just grumpy...maybe I will feel better in the mornin."

(His monologues are a fascinating insight into his mind!) 

This week marks four months in my pregnancy.  The baby is quite active now!  Baby is 5 1/2 inches long and weighs about a half a pound.  My uterus is the size of a cantaloupe...that explains a lot about the way my clothes are fitting.  Try swallowing a cantaloupe and see if your pants will still button!