Moses and the Red Sea

This is just another story.  It isn't inspirational or deep.  My apologies.

Two days ago, which would be the 12th, Bethany and I had a VERY full day of shopping.  We headed to Salt River (which is nearby Jubilee and is where all the ladies from SunShade live) and did our first portion of our shopping list as well as eat a yummy lunch there.  From there we decided to head over 15 minutes to Paarl where a HUGE shopping mall is.

At the Salt River Market, I carried Ryann in the sling.  It is way too crowded for a pram to be pushed through.  She did great except the last 5 minutes before we left, she really wanted to be put down.  So we left very quickly after small hints fussed at us by Ryann.

We headed to the Canal Walk Mall and we were shopping for christmas gifts.  By the time we got to the mall, Ryann was doing ok.  Not great, but okay and manageable.  So we put her in the pram (stroller) and headed inside.  Bethany and I spent about 30 minutes getting my dress for Laura's wedding and Dave and Anthony's gift.  Around that time, Ryann was becoming very unhappy about being in the pram so we decided to take a small break and feed Ryann lunch and get ourselves a smoothie.  

After our little break, Bethany and i decided to split up so we can shop for each other's gift.  I thought Ryann would be fine with a full tummy.  WRONG!

So I carried her with one arm and navigated the pram which suddenly became stubborn and unnavigable through throngs of million people with the other hand.  Okay, this mall is HUGE, reminds me of Mall of America, which I've never even been to, but no other mall that I've been to has been this big.  

Alright, I'm on one end needing to get to the center of the mall to get to the certain shop for Bethany's gift.  At this center of this particularly HUGE mall, Barney and Bob the Builder were making appearances and also there was this train ride going around with this annoying conductor that walked in front blowing this loud and shrilly whistle while his lucky buddy gets to drive the train full of kids around the mall.  

So, yeah, me... I'm stuck with my baby girl who is not happy with being in the pram nor in her mom's arm ("not happy"=pushing, squirming, arching back, throwing her head and fake crying) and this piece of contraption that supposedly is called a pram/stroller.  

Oh yeah, I'm outta juice for the little one's bottle... UGH

Finally, I made it through all the moms with their happy, smiling, giggling babies and got to the store. For some reason, I decided that I could still manage to shop with Ryann in this berserk behavior.  I got the items I needed and shoved them under the arm that was pushing/dragging the "pram/stroller" because i had all the other shopping bags loaded on there.  I didn't want anyone thinking that I was stealing if I set it down on top of the bags. So I got finally got to the cashier and waited seemly forever for them to ring up everything.  Mind you, Ryann is still dramatic acting.

After I got the purchased items, I set everything down on the ground, jammed shopping bags together and hooked them on the arms of the pram.  Then I buckled Ryann in and took off again for the same end of the mall needing to push through all the happy, fun, sweet loving families with Barney and Bob.  Now, Ryann is RRRRRRRRRREEEALLLLY MAD.  She's screaming and her face is bright red and she's getting white spots on her forehead from freaking out so badly.  

Lemmie tell you, if you need to get through a crowd of people quickly, just let that little one holler.

I felt like Moses parting the Red Sea.  The crowd who is loving and singing "I love you, you love me..." opens up and I have the freedom to rush down with the shopping bags poking out every which way and a daughter who is losing her voice.  Everyone was giving me sympathetic looks and trying to give me reassuring smiles... oooooooh, I was on the verge of tears.

Mom, my dearest mom, (Kris Carlson), I'm so sorry for ever putting you through moments like these.

I zoomed down the center of the walkway with the hollering baby clearing the way.  I kept my eyes peeled for a small shop or anything with some sort of juice for sale.  I found one PACKED with customers.  There wasn't any way I could get that pram through all that tightly formed pack of people who surround that saving potion called apple juice.  I made the quickest decision of my life and left the screamer at the entrance and bulldozed my way to the apple juice.  By the time I got to the apple juice, everyone connected the dots and gave me a little more room to rush back to the raw throated crier.  I filled the bottle with apple juice/water and gave it to her.  She took it and quieted down immediately.   I paid for the juice and headed out toward the end of the mall to meet Bethany.

I took 5 steps literally and my daughters eye's were rolling back and her eye lids drooped heavily. 10 more steps, she was fasted asleep with the bottle at her feet of the pram.

Whew!  You can obviously tell who Ryann got her dramatic genes from, I'll give you a hint, it isn't Anthony. I gotta tell ya, I still love being a mom.  :)  I'm just way more appreciative towards mothers and feel honored and humbled that God has given me this beautiful gift of motherhood.  It is only by His grace and mercy that I do not completely fail at being Ryann's mom.  

M U D

Once upon a time, in a gorgeous country where the skies are blue and sparsely dotted with white silky clouds and the old rugged mountains meet the magnificent seas, there was a little wee one named Ryann.  She is a very curious girl and loves to touch, taste and see new things that her Creator is spiffed up just for her.  

At one point in the day, when all the animals barely make a sound because they are napping off the heated and scorched afternoon, little wee one named Ryann decided to venture out to her garden.  Little wee one named Ryann found a very long green snake.  She toddled and waddled and crawled to the end of this very long green snake.  Feeling tired and thirsty from this long toddled and waddle and crawled hike, little wee one sat down and wondered what to do.  Suddenly, the very long green snake started spitting water out of its end.  

When the water fell to the dark and brown thing called dirt it became very mushy and gritty.  Out of curiosity, little wee one reached down to touch it.  To her delight, it was cool and soothing to her tiny, hot and sticky little fingers.   

After her tiny, hot and sticky fingers had enough pampering,  little wee one named Ryann thought and wondered how this will taste. Little wee one named Ryann had seen and touched this delightfully cool, dark and brown dirt, now she must taste it!

Icky, blechy, puffttthhh!!  She was not amused by this taste.  Her fine little eyebrows furrowed deeply into a disgusted frown.

Little wee one name Ryann looked up and found her mom smiling at her.  The mom squatted and told her little wee one that she was playing and eating mud.  The mom also told little wee one that the mushy and gritty dirt called mud would not taste good but there was so many fun things to do with mud, like, mud pies, squishing your toes in it, sliding around and building mud men and castles.  Little wee one looked at her mom and felt the mud on her little wee face form a smile... 

The End.

Here's another story about my child with food.  

One of her snacks that she receives during the day is Otees.  It is SA version of USA's Cheerio.  It is sweeter though.  Often, I'll put in on the ground for her to pick at her own pace. One time I had put some down and went to do some dishes.  Then I heard her complaining, so I turned to look at her and saw that she finished all the Otees... until she stood up.  

They were all stuck to her pant!  I've often found Otees or biscuits or crackers inside her onesies or even her diaper at the end of the day.  But I found this really funny.  Ryann looks like she's posing specifically for these shots.  I just love this girl.

Gimmie a Break... Gimmie a Break

Break me off a piece of that... KIT KAT BAR!  

One afternoon I was distracted with a book while Ryann very conveniently entertained herself.  I made sure there was nothing on the ground she wasn't suppose to have and closed the doors to the veranda and the laundry room as well as the baby gate to the stairs.  

When Ryann plays and entertains herself, she is always making some form of noise, wether it is her chattering, clanging things together, crawling and dragging things around, etc.  So while I was reading, I realized at a certain point that I haven't heard anything from Ryann.  Uh oh.  Better go see what she's up to.  So I quietly walked into the kitchen certain that she was in there.  But she wasn't!  She was behind the green chair in the living room munching on my favorite candy bar.  The KIT KAT.  

Bethany had made a run to the grocery store and saw the candy bar while waiting in line for the cashier.  So she brought me home a little treat.  I had opened it for a quick bite and left it on a table. Ryann had to have stood on her very tippy toes and reached with all the stretch she could with her short arms and tiny fingers to have grab my candy bar!  I was impressed.  Determined little girl!

When I saw her, I couldn't resist taking a few photos...