1, 2, 3 strikes. YOU'RE OUT!!!

The toy library is a lovely, peaceful place. Especially if you ignore the 50+ toddlers and young 'uns under the age of 6. Nobody between the ages of 7 and 15 is allowed into the toy library. They have a mandate, doncha know?

Baby B especially loves the place when there are very few people there. He likes the young children's room; does not venture into the snack area, the puzzle area or the craft area. He strictly sticks to the toy lending area and the library area. None of these facts save the first is very important. There is a problem, however. Since Baby B naps from time to time, and is horribly cranky in the afternoon anyhow, Simone and he do not go to the toy library in the afternoon when few other children are present. They go in the morning. And it is very, very, VERY crowded in the morning.

Yesterday, Baby B started out okay. There were only two other children in the young children's room. Unfortunately this fine state of affairs failed to continue. At 10 am. hordes of toddlers invaded the room. Baby B reacted poorly to this invasion. He pushed the young boy with whom he'd been playing quite nicely minutes prior. He slapped a little girl's bum (Simone places the blame solely on hubby for THAT one). He wrestled over a toy car with another little girl and took offence to the fact that she tried to use the same train track as him. Simone played mediator and the problem was solved. He side tackled a five year old boy who laughed. Simone told Baby B that this was inappropriate behaviour and told him he had one last chance. Finally, Baby B crawled over a mother's lap and, when that failed to elicit a reaction, tossed a plastic car and nailed directly in the middle of her forehead.

"That's it," Simone declared. "We're going home and you're not borrowing a toy today."

"MMMMMMMM!" said Baby B, citing his version of "sorry".

"You'll have to apologize to the lady you hurt with the toy car," Simone told Baby B.

"MMMMMMMM!" said Baby B. And so they went back to the young children's room to apologize to the young woman in question.

The young mother accepted the hug and apology and, still sobbing, Baby B headed out of the toy library with Simone.