"Sugar and Spice...

and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of."

Hannah brought new meaning to this saying today. . .

Let me start off by saying, I am still sick. In addition to my dysfunctional Eustachian tubes, I have also developed TMJ syndrome (aka "lock jaw") and a FOURTH sinus infection in the last six months. Plus vertigo and motion sickness which isn't easy to cope with when you are traveling as much as I have been. Thankfully, I am seeing both the ENT and the dentist this week, both of whom should be able to help fix me.

Having just returned from a four day trip to Long Island on business, during which I developed this lovely sinus infection, I was not thinking clearly. It is the only way to explain why, while on the phone with my sister and trying to find something to feed Hannah for lunch, I let her walk off with the shaker of colored sugar that I bought to decorate cookies at Christmas (cookies I never made). I did process what she was walking away with, but some part of my brain (the drugged part) said "she'll never get it open."

Approximately five minutes later, Hannah walked into the office carrying the empty sugar canister. Okay, not completely empty. It still had most of the yellow sugar (it looks like moisture mixed with sugar clogged the holes in the shaker). Here are some pictures:I apologize for the blurriness. . . I was so full of mixed emotions, I was simultaneously laughing and crying at the site of her. And then, I went into the living room and saw this:Thankfully, it was very easy to vacuum up because it was dry. Mike had more of a challenge cleaning the baby, who, incidentally, had just been bathed thirty minutes earlier. His complaint: she was causing the bath water to turn blue/green.

Clearly, they should change the warning on the prescription drug bottle to say, "WARNING: may impair judgement. Use caution when operating heavy machinery or when caring for young children."

Love, The Trahans

Dear Huggies

I like to think of myself as pretty marketing savvy. I may not have my MBA, but 10 years working in the consumer products industry gives me enough insight to appreciate a genius marketing campaign. But, on a recent trip to Target, I was startled to see this:Diapers made to look like you are wearing jeans? Really?

I get putting cutesy Disney characters on diapers because your child may like insert appropriate Disney movie here (although, arguably, most can't tell you if they like them or not). And, I get the Pull-ups with designs that appear and fade as positive reinforcement for NOT peeing in your diaper (or as a quick signal to an adult that you need a clean one). But, at the end of the day, unless you are letting your kid run around in just a diaper, NO ONE SEES THE DIAPER. Diapers are hidden by CLOTHES. And, in spite of the hot weather, my kid still wears clothes to daycare every day. Sure, she may run around in a diaper for a short span of time after coating her second or third outfit of the day in food while I try and muster enough energy to wrestle her into her pajamas. But, the thought has never entered my mind to let her spend an entire day only wearing a diaper.

In addition, not once has my child complained that her pink princess Pull-ups are "unfashionable" and that she needs the limited edition denim diapers. And, if she could complain, I would argue that maybe it's time to potty train her. Because, if she spends that much time looking at her diaper, she has plenty of free time to figure out that she has to pee.

In spite of the fact that I think this is the stupidest idea the Product Development team at Kimberly Clark could ever muster, I will concede that their marketing department deserves a raise for both their commercial and tagline: "The coolest you'll look pooping your pants."

Regardless, unless they take the plain old Huggies Supreme diapers off store shelves completely for the next four months, I can guarantee that my child will not be wearing them. Let's just hope my boycott doesn't damage her social status with the other girls at daycare.

Love, The Trahans