I'm sure there are many people out there that see my groovy headshot and my cute kids looking all put together and calm. They read my stories and my hair tips and how I like to cook even while having a full-time job and think "Oh please, they cannot be like that all the time."

Your suspiscions are confirmed. Some days just get really screwed up. Today was one of those days. So I present to you "Our Crazy Morning" for your entertainment. (Oh, and before you complain, there aren't photos in this post. The more active my kids get, the harder they are too photograph!)

It all started with a referral. I was hoping I wouldn't have to write about this, but it is inevitable. Peanut is going to get a cranial band. It is a little helmut that is used to help reshape a baby's head. Our little guy came home to us with a flat head on one side. It is common and we were hoping it would start to round on its own, but no such luck. I know it is a good idea to have him wear it and that he is too young to be self-concious, but let's just say I am not wild about it. I always felt sorry for babies wearing them and now my baby needs one! Karma, I suppose. I don't want people looking at him funny or teasing him. Yes, I am well aware it is just my own issues and that the other one-year olds aren't going to gang up and bully him. (And if they did, he could ram them with his helmut.) If we don't try to get it treated now, he could get teased mercilessly for his unique head shape. So, Peanut will get the helmut, Mommy will get some cool paint and stickers to decorate it and get over it.

So the appointment was this morning. At 9:00 AM. No sweat, right? I get up to go to work every morning, in a suit no less. And heels. Surely, I could get my child to an appointment on time. (For the record, we have been doing really, really well getting to places on time with the babies...just not today.) First snag in the plan...Pumpkin had to come too. Tadd was due at a client site in the morning, and wouldn't be working at home until the afternoon. Second snag...he couldn't help us get ready because of that client site meeting.

I got up and showered and dressed...Oh but wait...I'm almost out of clean clothes due to my lack of doing laundry. I mean, my own laundry. Babies have oodles of clean clothes. So I scrounge around for a clean ensemble and make a note that I must do laundry. Off to the kitchen. Tadd is already bringing the babies downstairs so I get to work on getting their breakfast together. I would figure out breakfast for myself later. Maybe a planned stop at Mickey D's. We settle down for breakfast. Pumpkin eats breakfast right up, as usual. Peanut does not. He's being pokey. REALLY pokey. I should not have been surprised since he's been like this for a few weeks now due to a growth spurt, development spurt, teeth coming in, etc. etc. It took him about 30 minutes to finish a bottle! Just the bottle! All in all, almost an hour for him to eat. And he STILL didn't eat most of it. Even Pumpkin was getting impatient since her food was long gone.

Once that was as done as it was going to be, I whisked them upstairs for a wash up and to get dressed. Peanut did NOT want to get dressed. Whining, kicking, squirming, flailing arms. Seriously, it was like trying to put bracelets on a ticked off-octopus. I knew he was very much missing his morning nap. I went to find his shoes. Where were his shoes?! I was getting a bit flustered, but still under control...although my jaw was clenching.

After a useless search, I settled for thick socks and no shoes. Next to Pumpkin. She was willing to get dressed as long as she sould try to make a crawl for it ever two seconds. I had to practically throw the clothes on her to get her ready. Then I scooped her up and grabbed the kids' coats. I made a quick stop to our printer to pull off the directions that I printed the night before. I was greeted by a blinking light telling me the toner was out. HUH?! Tadd bought new toner weeks ago. Why was it not in the printer?? Especially now when I was in the zone of "We are going to be late"? I took the kids downstairs, put on their coats, and fired up my laptop. I needed directions and a phone number to call. I dialed the number to the medical office and was immediatley put on hold. For another five minutes...which felt like an eternity since I was already late. I apologized and told the voice that we would be about twenty minutes late. To which she responded in a disappointed manner, "Oh dear...well, I guess we'll just have to cut his appointment short...you might have to reschedule." Give me a break, lady! I'm trying to get two babies out the door and it is past naptime!

I hang up and grab the diaper bag. After a quick calculation, I realized we might need some food. So I make two bottles and toss in a couple jars of baby food. Wait, now where were my shoes?! I get on the floor and find one shoe under the couch...and a missing toy piece we've been looking for...and the other shoe under the coffee table. Shoes on feet, scoop up bag and children and load up the car. Forget my car keys, so I run back in the house. Will we ever be able to leave?!

We were driving along, with no traffic, thank goodness. I start to breathe and realized I was sweating. And that I am too late to get my Egg McMuffin.

We get to the parking garage. I unload the double stroller and remove the kids from their car seats. (Peanut was sound asleep. I knew he was squirrelly because he was tired.) Grabbed my purse and we all went upstairs to the office. Exchanged pleasantries with another nice mom. Her son's helmet had his name painted on it. I made a mental note of it. I got the insurance card out and noticed the Stroller Parking area. No strollers in the back room. Darn! I set the kids on the floor to let them play and reach for the diaper bag. Where's the diaper bag??! I start to mentally retrace my steps at hyperspeed...the house? The car? By this point, I am thoroughly frustrated with myself as the nurse calls us back. And I scoop up my children to a room of onlookers. Nothing like watching a mom maneuvere two babies single-handedly to draw an audience.

We go to the room and there was plenty of room to play. I set the kids down and let them crawl around. They were both all over the place. Scaling the walls, literally. The therapist came in and gave me some info, while I tried to redirect hair pulling and attacks on the wall outlets. I did tune in, though, when she informed me that I might have an issue with my insurance. It seems that Peanut is past the age (by a month or two) that the insurance company pays for cranial bands, even though they can be effective through almost two years. So, we will have to appeal, which hurt my head to think about. It also meant that we could not get the order placed for the helmut. Insurance has to be on order before any work was done.  Greeeeeaaaaat...

They did take the preliminary photos of Peanut's head. The photographer escorted us all to the room and even carried Pumpkin for me (Thank You, Nice Photo Lady!) We take off Peanut's clothes for the picture while Miss Pumpkin crawled around on the floor. (She wasn't loving not being the center of attention!) The kind woman informed me that we needed to get Peanut's hair as slicked down and flat as possible. Easier said than done. My children have very, VERY curly hair. She ended up coating him up with a ton of gel and thick hair putty until everything was sticky. We got all the pictures, but he was too goopy to go out. So she took me to a room with a large sink so I could wash him up. My little fella was non too pleased about it. Of course, I also needed a fresh diaper since my diaper bag was sitting on the front seat of the car. 

Too add insult to injury, he had made a "present" in the diaper during the visit. So that was really fun to clean up. Oh, and Pumpkin was starting to get fussy and crying as well. Good times.

After more fancy footwork, I bathed, dried, and re-dressed my son. I put his and his sister's coats back on and gathered all the paperwork, my purse, and the two kids. Somehow I also opened the office door (No idea how) and left the office. I loaded the babies back in the glorious double stroller and we left. While I buckled Peanut back in his car seat, I looked down and noticed the missing pair of brown shoes sitting right there on the seat.

So today I was the crazy, frazzled, disorganized, tired mom. And it sucked much, but it was true. I was all those things and more. Oh well...you can't be a rock star every day. Besides, I did score some points getting Peanut and Pumpkin to crack up during dinner, thereby making meal time a fun experience for all.  I did grocery shopping for the week and I finally figured out double-slinging.

And I finally did a load of my own laundry.