What do I get for dragging 3 kids around on a hot August Day?

A HEADACHE!

Poor kids it was so not their fault. We left the house at 10:00 for Julia's 4 mth check up. Why leave the house 1/2 hr before her appt 10 min away you ask? Because parking at the Medical Office building is a B*&$H. We finally get parking, get everybody unbuckled and unloaded- Mackenzie holding my hand, Julia in her bucket and Kyle "helping" to carry Julia. We make it into the building with no one getting run over and start with a Chorus of "I'm Pushing the button (to the elevator)" No I'M pushing the button", "No I'm pushing the button" each chorus getting louder between the two of them. I finally decide that Kyle will push the up button and Mackenzie will push the button in the elevator. The door opens the kids bolt until they hear my "STOP, let the people who are on the elevator get off" They look at me like I just spoke to them in a language they have never heard. We make it into the office AT 10:30 only to see 2 other families waiting (I think CRAP this is going to take a while). I ask "How far behind is he?" The nurse knowing me says "Not too long" (GREAT) We take a seat and I begin to notice how darn hot it is in the office (why do pediatricians not use A/C? The little ones can take a chill for a few minutes). The kids start going through the backpack looking for snacks--which I did not have with me-they grab the juice boxes saying "I'm thirstyyyyyyyyyyyy" So we open them up and they suck them down in a NANOsecond. Julia then decides to fall asleep on me as we get called in (mind you the Dr still has another patient ahead of us--It's now 10:50) I wake Julia by stripping her down plunk her on the scale (which she was none to happy with 16lbs 2oz By the way),get her up as the nurse walks in to get her weighed and measured. I tell her "I already weighed her--she's 16lbs 2oz" I can tell she doesn't like that I'm doing her job (she is new to the practice)but she also knows by now that I was a NICU parent and did ALL of Kyle's care for at least the last 4 weeks of his stay (other than meds). Dr finally comes in we chat for a few minutes,Julia smiles, He comments on how big her head is and I confess (in a whisper) that she is a belly sleeper(GASP) and her head has not flattened out. He knows me and my children well enough by now that all 3 were belly sleepers and gives me the quick AAP recommendations about "Back to Sleep" and I give him the "When SIDS is totally wiped out by back sleeping I will put her on her back so she can wake me up every hour because she HATES it. For now we will stick with the 12+ hrs she is sleeping at night on her belly (usually 7:30-9:00). He leaves the room to get the growth chart and I turn around to 2 kids looking at me saying "I need to go potty" in a sing songy voice. We all traipse to the bathroom where I manage to get Macks on the potty without falling in and Kyle to pee IN the water (all while still holding Julia). Get pants up, hands Purelled and then back to the exam room. We then get those great immunizations so the Dr can see how long Julia can hold her breath before screaming (this girl can SHRIEK). We leave the office to go through another elevator chorus and get through the parking lot with no one getting run over. In the car, seats buckled, ready to go, Julia, is passed out in her car seat--it takes a lot of energy to scream.

We head for the bank and of course the Drive through ATM is out of service. So we drive across town to the other bank go through the ATM (cause if I can't drive through itwith 3 kids in the car I'm not interested) Both kids asking to listen to "God Smack" (what they listen to in DADS car). By now it is 11:45. Now, If any of you know me I have a weakness..GYMBOREE. I LOVE the clothes. Gymboree's labor day sale has started so I planned on going to the Mall and finishing Macks Back to School Shopping (Along with my extra 20% off coupon). So I take Speen St. Not sure WHY I did that because for the last 6 mths it has been under construction for the new mall expansion, but I did. 10 minutes later and less than a 1/4 mile we get to the mall. 10 min later we find parking. We get in to Gymboree and the kids RUN for the TV at the back of the store. Of course they do not have everything I want so the SA starts making calls to other area stores. NO LUCK. Julia then wakes up and remembers that she got shots and starts to scream. I realize this was a HORRIBLE idea to begin with, put my stuff on hold and head for the exit it's now 12:45.

We make a run through the Mickey D's drive through. I pull up to pay and realize my wallet is in the back of the car (What a LOSER!) I get out of the car go to the back--no Wallet, I'm thinking "Are you kidding me??????I didn't even take it out!" Get back in the car and there is my wallet (What a LOSER!) I pay, drive off, get home. Get the kids started--you know I HAVE to take the pickle off of Kyle's burger because it may bite him if he does it, feed Julia put her back to bed because whatever is in those shots makes them sleepy--wish I had had some last night when it was 2:00am and I STILL couldn't get to sleep. Get the kids in their rooms for "rest time". Clean up lunch and sit down to check e-mail, then remind myself about the mountain of laundry downstairs, bottles that have to made, rooms that need to be cleaned and dinner that needs to get started. *SIGH* You've just had a small glimpse into a day in the life of a Stay at home mom :)