Breakfast time? So I'm pretty sure I'm starting to lose it completely. Today was my day off. Although the term "day off" is a bit misleading because while I don't have to go to the office, I'm still juggling multiple work crises, but I getting the added bonus of doing it with the two demanding boys at my side.

So anyways, I decide it's a McDonald's kind of morning and eventually give up on getting the work crisis sorted out and load the kids in the minivan to head out for breakfast. Recognizing that it's 10:20, we make a mad dash to the drive thru, where I place our order. The voice on the speaker comes back and tells me they're only serving lunch now. So I ask when they stop serving breakfast and they say 10:30. The clock in my car and on the cell phone say only 10:27 so I tell them it isn't 10:30 yet and I want breakfast for me and the kids.

They say (again) they're only serving lunch now. I ask "So you stop serving breakfast before 10:30? And they say no, their clock shows 10:35. I say "Well I have 2 clocks that show it's before 10:30 and I want breakfast". They say (again) they're only serving lunch now. So I said, "Well I'm not going anywhere until we get our biscuits" (By the way, for those of you who are keeping track, this is where I started to lose it). They repeat that there's nothing they can do, (again) they're only serving lunch now.

I say, "That's fine. There's a line of people behind me and I'm not going anywhere. I've got all day to sit here." They tell me (again) that they're only serving lunch now. I say "No problem. I'll still be sitting here in the morning when you start serving breakfast again." I think that threw them for a loop because now it became clear that they were dealing with someone who was truly insane.

So the people at window #1 and window#2 are leaning out trying to wave me forward. I'm shaking my head in refusal. The people behind me are starting to just pull around me and avoid the ordering speaker altogether.

Eventually they sent some manager out to my car who asked me to please pull up. I said I wasn't leaving without my breakfast. She said they were making some new biscuits for me and if I would just pull up they would serve me my breakfast.

Score one point for the crazy mom and zero for McDonald's. Actually, they get half a point for recognizing that I was insane and probably wouldn't actually ever leave.

The Big Boy: Well, it seems that Hayden is growing up. I signed him up for a few days a week at a church day camp so he could have some fun social time without having to go to the park in the oppressive Houston summer heat. Today was day#2 at this program and Sean dropped him off at the school. Apparently, Hayden nearly knocked over some other girl who was having a tearful goodbye moment with her mother. He promptly put his lunch box in the appropriate spot and went to play with the other kids, with a business-like "bye" to Sean. Nice to see he isn't going to be clingy and distraught when it comes time for real school, but a little sad to0...

The Little Boy: Reports are that Trevor has started eating again, ending what seemed like a several day boycott of anything but breast milk. And mind you, he wants that milk straight from the cow, not in any impersonal plastic bottle. He's just so different than Hayden was at that age. Hayden would suck down 8 oz. bottles six times a day plus eat cereal, veggies, bread, cheese, chicken, etc. Trevor takes a bite or two maybe and then clamps his mouth closed and screams bloody murder and swats you away is you try to encourage any more eating. He's only 20th percentile on weight (and something like 75th percentile on height) so I'm a bit concerned, but what's a mom to do? Anyway, the last few days have been better. I mean, at this age shouldn't their instinct not be to starve themselves?

Last night Trevor was playing with the telephone. Why is it that the phone fascinates them so much? Anyways, I need to check every minute or so to make sure that he hasn't actually hit the talk button and called someone accidentally. Our old housekeeping service we let go used to be #1 in the directory and Hayden would always manage to call them and I'd hang up and they'd call right back asking if we wanted them to come and clean. Nice uncomfortable conversation I'd just as soon avoid (fixed this particular problem by deleting them from the phone directory). But with Trevor, if I take the phone away for just a second he just absolutely screams with rage. It's the red-head thing I think. Then I give the phone back and he's perfectly content again. But if I don't give the phone back the rage continues and can't be appeased by any other toy. I've got a sinking feeling this is a sign of things to come in my life. I think I was spoiled by how content and happy-go-lucky the big boy was at this age.

Introducing...Barnaby: So Hayden and I went to pick a new fish this weekend. Ended up with a crowntail betta. Quite pretty actually. But the smug boy at the store basically told me we killed the last fish with our poor care. I just followed the (verbal) instructions they gave me when we bought the thing, but he was aghast when I told him we changed all the water out at the same time, something about getting rid of the "good" bacteria and "shocking" the fish. Who knew? But apparently the life expectancy of these things is supposed to be more than 6 months. Bought this one on June 17, 2006. Start counting the days.

Been letting Trevor cry himself to sleep the past few nights. It's working pretty well as long as I don't go in and look at him. I just can't buy the philosophy that you should go in and comfort them every ten minutes (then 15, 20, 30, etc) but not pick them up. If I go in there and don't pick him up, he's way more frantic when I leave then he was before I went in there. So it's got to be completely cold turkey for him. He did turn on his own mobile this weekend. Yes, I know, bad Mommy for leaving the mobile in the crib past 5 months, but he loves the thing. You can't spend your whole life trying to parent by the instruction manual.

I guess I need to put a picture here in order to get it on my profile...

The Fish, Part 3: Last night we said goodbye to Sammy the fish. I know, kind of gross that we let the dead fish hang around for over a day, but I didn't know if we should flush or bury him. We decided to go the flush route. Once he was in the toilet, Hayden was very sad and didn't want to flush him. Lots of tears. Then some wailing after the fish was actually flushed. So Sean gave in and told him he can get a new fish this weekend.

Sammy the Fish, Part 2: So when I got home yesterday, Hayden and I went to check on Sammy and he was belly-up. Definitely dead now. Hayden seemed unphased by the whole thing and still excited at the prospect of a new fish. I told Sean I'm a little concerned that he doesn't show any concern for the poor dead fish. Sean doesn't think we should get a new fish since Hayden didn't seem to care much about Sammy in the first place. Maybe he's right, or maybe he just was tired of cleaning that fish bowl. I'm going to wait and see if Hayden pushes the new fish issue or not.

Fish Follies: Last night, Sean informed me that Sammy (Hayden's fish) had blown his last bubbles and was floating lifelessly on the bottom of his tank. So I get the honor of telling Hayden his fish is dead. I go into his room and start talking to him about how sometimes our pets get sick and die. And I tell him that poor little Sammy got sick and died. And he says "Sammy's not dead, he's right here" and I look over and that fish isn't dead. A tap on the side of the tank produces some frantic swimming. So now what do you say? So I tell him that Sammy is very sick and will probably die soon. Then he's all sad. I tell him that maybe we can get a new fish this weekend and he's all-consumed with planning his new fish acquisition. Now I'm feeling like he should mourn Sammy a bit longer. So what's a Mom to do? I don't want the little man to be all sad and weepy for the fish (who's only been with us since Christmas), but I also think he should have a little more recognition that we can't just replace our friends when they die and while there may be new fish, there won't ever be another Sammy. Then again, we're probably getting ahead of ourselves since when we last checked, Sammy was still hanging in there...

These are my lovely boys. The little one (Trevor) didn't sleep well last night. Up at midnight and again some time in the middle of the night. At midnight, I felt mom-guilt since he hadn't had a decent supper and so I got up to feed him. Then I feel guilty for reinforcing the crying by getting up to feed him. The second time he woke up, I just let him cry it out. Nice job with the inconsistency, right? But even though I don't want to get him in the habit of late night feeding, it is still such a sweet time together when he's all cuddly and lovey. They're only precious and little for such a short time, I think I'm OK with the midnight nursing.

This is my first attempt at blogging.