Exhibit A

Lord help me.

I am a person who constantly struggles with the virtue of patience. I don't like waiting in line, commercials bother me, and I am maddened by perceived inefficient processes that waste my time. But never in my 29 years of life have I found a greater test of my patience than raising children.

I recently told a group of my friends who don't have children yet that child rearing is the most amazing, rewarding, miraculous and simultaneously mind numbingly frustrating thing I have ever done. I stand by that.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my children more than words can say. Given the chance to go back and choose the path for my life again I would choose the one that leads me to these two sweet babies every single time without a second of hesitation. Yes, even knowing now what I didn't know back then I'd still pick my kids.

By now, you're probably wondering why I'm boring you with this so I give you test of my patience exhibit A.

Tonight Riley was coloring at the dining room table. She asked me to help her which I did gladly. As soon as I sat down she started directing me on who to draw and where to draw them. She's a little bossy these days, but we're working on it.

First, she wanted Daddy. Then Mommy. Then "my Winsey" aka my bestie. Then Buddy (her little daycare pal), Boosta and Bug (Bestie's kids). I was drawing heads and she was doing the bodies. It was great teamwork.

Then she asked me to draw Winsey. I pointed to the one we had already drawn. She persisted, "NO! I want Winsey, Boosta's Mommy." Again I showed her that we had already drawn her. "NOOOO!", she wailed, "I want Winsey! I want WINSEY! I WANT WINSEEEEEEEEEY! Buddy's mommy!". (She's screeching by now).

Suddenly it dawned on me that she meant Buddy's Mommy, Miss M, not Winsey. So I said, "You want Miss M?!?"

What happened next made me grit my teeth and grip the crayon I was holding and reach into the very depths of my patience.

She looked me straight in the face like I was the dumbest person on the planet and said, "YEEEESSS Mommy. That's what I already said to you."

And then she actually sighed.

And yes, she's only 2 1/2.

And yes, I still love her, maddening patience testing ways and all.



With that face (and that mess of a hairstyle) how could I not?