The mother of all tantrums

Yesterday I mentioned that Caroline had spent the previous evening outsmarting some babysitters, which resulted in her not going to bed until after 9:30. Any of y’all without kids might think that means she slept late the next morning to make up for the sleep deficit…but you would be wrong.

P and I always know if it’s going to be a good day or a bad day by the way Caroline wakes up to greet the morning. On a good day, we wake to the sweet sounds of her talking to her menagerie of stuffed animals as she lies contentedly in bed. On a bad day, we wake to the whining, nails on a chalkboard sound of “Mama, Mama, MAMA!!!”. And when P goes in to get her, she tells him to just go away and leave her alone. It’s a lovely way to start the day.

So, at 6:30 yesterday morning when we woke to the sounds of a bad day gearing up in the next room, we were understandably thrilled.

Actually, for the most part, the day passed without incident. We had some friends over to play in the morning and only had to have a timeout once. Nobody ever said sharing the Cozy Coupe was easy.

Then, after a naptime which consisted of no nap because of her incredible ability to fight sleep at all costs, she went out to play in the backyard while P was working out there. Knowing that I needed to go to the store, he came in and told me that she was perfectly content playing so if I needed to slip off to the store to go ahead and go.

It took me all of two seconds to grab my keys and race to the car. I was so heady with excitement that I even decided to go to the more upscale, gourmet market located near our house instead of our average HEB. I love going to this market because they have everything you can imagine and it comforts me to know that if I ever decide I’m in need of whole, smoked white fish or exotic cheeses or one hundred and fifty different kinds of olives, that I can run around the corner and buy them. So, I went there even though the most exotic thing on my list was green beans.

I shopped leisurely without dispensing Chex Mix or donuts. I relished my time in the check out line knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with my nemesis, that smug Buddy Buck. It was great.

Until…

I was walking out to the car when my cell phone rang. It was P calling to report that Caroline had discovered that I had gone to the store without her and flew into such a screaming fit that it seems she gave herself a bloody nose. Now normally, she couldn’t have cared less about missing a trip to the store if it meant that she was busy helping P do something, but in her sleep deprived, cranky, inconsolable state she came undone.

He said he carried her into the house because he was afraid the neighbors would think something really serious was happening because of all the screaming with the screams of the screaming, not to mention that she was totally freaking the dogs out, and put her in her timeout chair in her room. He told her that she needed to sit there until she could calm down and she just kept telling him to “Leave me alone”, so he did.

He said not even two minutes later it got quiet…too quiet. He walked into her room and this is what he discovered.

Sound asleep.

Now that’s what I call tired.

Bless her little fit throwing heart.