Sorry mom!

We are headed out of town and it never fails, when we leave, the kids get sick. We've learned that even if there's no symptoms, take them to the doctor before we leave anyway. It's just a precaution so we don't end up spending crazy money on an ER visit. This trip was no different. The kids have been sick for several days with a cough and runny nose. I'm worried Natalie will get an ear infection so we head to the doctor the day before we leave.

Sure enough - Natalie has an ear infection in both ears. The doctor and I were both surprised since she is so smiley and happy. Noah has fluid in his ears but it's not enough to be concerned about an ear infection. Natalie is prescribed an antibiotic and Noah is "prescribed" Dimetapp Elixir. The Dimetapp is supposed to drain the fluid in his ears so he doesn't get an ear infection.

By the time I leave the doctor and get to Walgreens, we are on the border of nap time. The kids still have to eat lunch and we have to wait for their medicine. I turn in the prescription and head off to find the Dimetapp. It's still taking a while so we venture down the clearance aisle.

"Prescription ready for Weaver."

Great - let's go!! I pay for all the medicine (including the inhaler refill I forgot we ordered) and catch my breath as I'm told how much we owe.

I tell Noah we're leaving and he has to take my hand. He runs ahead of me and around the corner. I yell for him and start to count. As I turn the corner, he's gone. I start to panic until 2 steps later I see him in the toy aisle. Now he's in trouble!! He not only wouldn't hold my hand when I told him to but he ran ahead and I couldn't find him. I grab his hand and tell him, quite firmly, that he MUST hold my hand. He doesn't want to hold my hand and decides he won't walk if I won't let go of his hand. Now, I'm carrying Natalie, a Walgreens bag in one hand and literally dragging Noah out of the store with the other. His shoes are scraping the ground and he is trying to pull his hand away from me. I'm about to drop Natalie and he's really in trouble now!! He's on the verge of a temper tantrum and I don't have anymore patience to deal with this.

We make it to the car and put him in his seat - how, I'm still not sure. I put him in before I put Natalie in but, he's in his seat and he won't do his seatbelt. I threaten him, "Put your seatbelt on - NOW - or I will bust your butt!!" To my dismay, the woman is getting into her car beside me and, in this day and age, if she heard me threaten Noah, is probably on the phone to child services.

I get Natalie buckled in and then buckle Noah in. As I open my door, it doesn't catch and it swings back. I hit my head - hard! I now have a knot and I can't tell if the cut on my head is going to bleed. Just get me home............. Really - I'm going to get in the car in 24 hours for a 12 hour drive to Connecticut - Really!?!?!?!? Just get me home..............

We survive the 1.2 miles to the house. I get him out and tell him to go inside. I get Natalie out and put her down in the kitchen. I go back out to the car for the Walgreens bag. The meds have to be refrigerated. I can't really wait until after the kids are in bed.

Noah knows he's in trouble. I come back in to find him sitting at the table, waiting patiently for his next set of instructions. I tell him that he is eating a hot dog and then he's going to bed. He, at this point, would try to convince me that he's not tired but not today. He says, "I want ((insert random food item))." "No. You're eating a hot dog and you're going to bed." No comment - great, I'm glad we finally understand each other.

I put the hot dog in the microwave and call Dave at work. I'm really close to tears - stress, headache, Natalie wanting nothing but to be held, too much to do and not enough time to do it in.

I tell Dave that I have hit my head and I have a knot. He asks if I'm lightheaded, headache, dizzy, ya-da, ya-da. Once we agree that I'm not going to pass out, I begin to lose what little bit of control I have left and my voice cracks. Dave asks if I've taken anything and tells me he will check back in 20 minutes. I proceed to tell him about my trip to Walgreens and how mad I am at Noah. Noah is sitting at the table waiting for his hot dog listening to my conversation with Dave.

...he ran ahead of me, I couldn't find him for a second, he was in the toy aisle, I told him to hold my hand, "I had to drag him out of the store. People probably thought I was kidnapping him. 'I swear, I'm not trying to kidnap my own child.' I was literally dragging him out of the store. I was dragging him across the parking lot all the way to the car."

We discuss our Noah problems that we are having lately and I hang up. I'm still so upset with him that I really just want to put him to bed. If I expect a long nap from both kids, they have to eat lunch.

As I'm cutting up his hot dog, he says, in his sing-song voice, "Sorry, mom."

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for walking like a dragon in Walgreens." (oh the mind of a two year old - I said "dragging" and he thought I meant walking like a "dragon")

When he's that cute, how can I stay mad at him. I wanted to stay mad at him but he was "walking like a dragon"