In Pittsburgh, everyone goes to the mall. There are many malls. You go there just to get out of the house, you don't even go for shopping some of the time. It was a way of life for me. But down here its a little different. Nobody goes to the malls! There are only a few stores in our mall that is closest to us that I actually shop in. I have actually fallen in love with boutique shopping that dots main roads through this little city. Of course there are the big box stores, and Target, even a Super Target on Youree Drive! My husband hates it, but if you know me, you know my love for a good Target!
But boutique shopping is extremely hard for me. I want to look in every corner and shelf lined with beautiful fabrics and accessories and try everything on, all at once! I have just one little, precious problem... an almost 2 year old named Averie. See, she will be an awesome shopping partner when she grows up because she has already proven that she, like me, wants to try everything on all at once! She throws herself from the sturdy seat belts of her strollers and leaps into stacks of cotton shirts, naming all the colors she knows and dragging them around to show everyone she can find. She pulls the scarves from their hangers and drapes them around her neck like she does with mine and starts to sing "Let It Go" from Frozen. Between the sunglasses on display and the dreaded moment when the cuteness turns to destruction as she pulls a necklace from the top of a table, there I stand. Praying I don't have to follow the "you break, you buy" rule once again. It really amazes me how she can go from 1 to 100 in 5 seconds flat.
So there I am at Pierre Bossier Mall promptly at 10 am when stores open hoping to find something for my husband. "I just want to get one thing, just one to start," I think to myself as I hear it: that whine that precedes her escape plan. And we aren't even 50 feet from the entrance! I swore by our iPad for the past several months as a means of keeping her occupied with educational games and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I could get my errands done as quickly as possible, but now, it's not working. As I make a mad dash past the children's play area (I would return to that after one store) and past the blinking lights of the arcade, the cookie shop, Gelato stand, I finally make my exit with only a few shrieks from the peanut into Sephora in JC Penny. Cologne, yes! I'll get him a new bottle of cologne for a starter gift! The sweet gentleman working commented on how cute she was as she screamed and struggled her way out of the stroller and made a bee line for the Philosophy section. (What can I say, the girl has good taste!) I once again promised she wouldn't wreck the store... I need to stop making promises I can't keep and just say "she might tear this apart, but you'll forgive us, right?". As I quickly make exchanges with the attendant on colognes and perfumes, I hear her grabbing sample picks and bottles. And then it happens. I tell her no and to put it down and she puts it down alright. She throws handfuls of stuff onto the ground then throws herself on top of it, kicking and screaming. I gather her and her mess up and fight her back into the stroller where I once again try to get her attention with the iPad so I can check out. And then she does it.... I hear that iPad hit the hard ground and I don't want to look to see if it took anything else out with it. I thank the Lord that screen didn't break, again, and I pay and get out of there. I know he was glad to see me go.
This is now my sweet little princess. The terror of her reign scares us all. I am not a pushover mom, or at least I hope not. But I do believe there is a time and place for discipline and I am trying to figure out when Averie will understand. She will be 2 in a month and I am already seeing my future outgoings becoming in-home stayings. Averie was colic from 6 weeks to 8 months (and that's another future posting) and I can honestly say that was the darkest time of my life. When she hit her 1 year birthday she was this vibrant, excited, happy, sweet baby girl. The one I dreamed of! And now, she's reverting back. Oh, I pray everyday, please Lord remind me this too shall pass! But it is hard. And I hate keeping her home, it's just become so hard to take her out! As I chatted with my girlfriend on the phone on our way home, she asked if she is getting her 2 year molars? MOLARS?!! Oh yes!! Maybe that's it!! Oh my poor baby!! I think to myself as I am trying to get her lunch before her nap, "she just needs mommy to make her feel better!" Then we sit for lunch and she's happy! For just a moment she smiles! She lays her head on my shoulder and then tries her best to scoop up the little shells onto her blue spoon (she tries so hard) and then they fall before reaching her mouth... with one swipe of her chubby little arm she sends the bowl off the table and into the window before falling into my lap weak with frustration and failure. Oh my poor baby. WELP! That's enough of that, nap time!
So I really didn't intend for this posting to be about THE TERRIBLE TWOS but I guess that's the way it's going to go. I really wanted to talk about this awesome perfume I picked up! Of course I got one for my husband, but he may read this so I can't say which one yet! But I needed a new one too, so I got a small bottle to try and I am IN LOVE!!! Omigosh it's the perfect light summer scent! I keep smelling my wrists because it smells that good!! Anyway, I highly recommend it! It's Escada Born In Paradise. Amazing!! It's not too fruity, fresh with a hint of coconut. I'm hooked!
Anyway, nap time is almost over and I have a mountain of laundry to do! Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my misery and delights of the day! Wine sounds good right now...
Megan
Update: Aves woke up right as I wrote my name and I was able to take this sweet cuddle picture... I hope this lasts for at least 30 minutes!!
