copycat copycat

reagan the raccoon...
reagan is our little copycat. he mimics all sorts of things that thomas and i do. a short list:
1. applying mascara
2. saying "nuts!" or "oh crap!"(we're going to have to eliminate that from our vocabulary.
3.putting his contact lenses in.)
4. shaving his face.
5. stirring his drinks.
6. dipping all his different foodstuffs in ketchup.
7. drinking crystal light.
8. berating meatball.
9. making the bed.
10. brushing my hair or his hair.
11. applying deodorant and lotion.
12. saying "oooh, close!" when shooting a basket.
13. breakdancing on the floor while watching the doodlebops, or the "bops" as he calls it.
14. holding the baby.
15. opening the dishwasher putting the (often still dirty)silverware away.

as far as being the mother of two children, it is going pretty well. i was quite nervous about being able to manage this feat. scarlett is a very very good baby so that helps quite a lot. she is almost a complete opposite of reagan. i was so overwhelmed and exhausted with reagan that i thought we would be a one child family. thankfully i was blessed with a baby that REALLY likes to eat so breastfeeding has been no problem, except with keeping up with her pace. i affectionately call her piglet. she is a great sleeper too. she only wakes up twice a night to eat and immediately goes back to sleep. i did attempt a short trip to the mall that included a ride on the carousel. of course i completely overestimated my maternal abilities and i wanted to cry all through lunch at the food court, especially after the spilling of a large bottle of chocolate milk on reagan's pants and scarlett spitting up most of her bottle on me. but we survived and eventually they will both grow up and become productive citizens. hopefully.

one thing i have discovered since becoming a mother is that perfect strangers love to give advice. so i have learned to lie. about most anything. i find it is perfectly acceptable for me to tell people that don't matter that my child is fine, he/she never throws tantrums, eats everything on his/her plate, crawled at 3 months and walked at 6, has shown a propensity for speaking in full sentences at one year and has never EVER needed a perfect stranger in the line at sam's club to scold them for bad behavior. that is my job thank you very much!

list of things i would like to say to people who needlessly give me advice:

1. yes, i know she is only two weeks old, but i have too much to do to stay at home and cloister her from all the germs in the world.
2. he doesn't want to be held by you because you are a stranger, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with him.
3. yes, i am aware he is yelling my name over and over again. if i could stop it i would.
4. no, pacifiers do not give you orthodontic problems. but you might have some after i punch you in the mouth.
5. she's a girl for crying in the night! she's wearing PINK!
6. just because we have a boy and a girl does not mean we are "done". i don't see how that is your business anyway, mrs. walmart checker!
7. yes, all of our clothes have stains on them. we are not blind. we are just busy.
8. you're kidding, my son is running down the aisles of the grocery store? goodness, your children must have always walked in straight silent lines. please teach me how to do that!
9. yes, i know that she has no shoes on. it is freaking july in alabama!