baby contest? sign us up!

okay, so the baby gap/gap kids is having their annual casting call. and you know how much of a sucker i am for those things.

that reminds me of another story i must tell. tomorrow, i shall.

anyway, entries can be submitted online, but they were also doing in-store casting calls this past friday and saturday. so i corralled my friend MommyBelle and her two adorable offspring, and we made plans to meet at glendale galleria. i was a bit apprehensive because i totally expected a major clusterfuck of proud parents, so i just told myself that if the line was just too long, at least it would be a fun lunch and shopping trip with MB. plus, there's an apple store there, so i figured i'd spend some of that birthday cash on some accessories for my new toy.

i was shocked when i arrived and saw a pretty short line in the store - until i realized they were handing out numbers, and you were to join the line when your number was assigned to go in. i managed to swipe the last three numbers, scheduled between 3:00 - 4:00.

um, it was just barely 11:30. shit.

by the time MB and co. arrived, i'd already bought myself a cute iPhone case, a car charger, and an anti-glare film for the screen. we cruised around baby gap, oohing and aahing over the adorable fall collections, but even with a coupon in hand, we managed to avoid taking anything up to the registers. yup.

we headed to the food court to grab some lunch, and MB treated us (mm-hmm, i love birthdays) to mine. i got a steak and shrimp teriyaki plate with veggies, which i proceeded to share with the bean. it was fun watching her eat everything i gave her - she's been trying new things almost every day, which is hit-and-miss. today was definitely a "hit."

afterwards, we cruised around the mall, chatting and browsing, and then when we got back to baby gap, it was 2:00. still too early to join the line, but we decided to go in and check it out anyway. and surprisingly, the line was damn near non-existent, and the girls told us to go ahead and get in. of course, all the shopping and eating and stuff tuckered my poor little bean right out, and as soon as we got in line, i realized that she'd nodded right off to sleep. ha! but we figured it'd be a good half hour before we got to the front, and that would be just fine.

MB had her own "hit and miss" as she got her kids in front of the photographer. LFM, even without a nap, grinned widely and was quite charming. it was fun watching him, and MB turned to LP to sit her on the stool and have her picture taken.

"no, mommy, i don't want to!"
"are you sure? brother did it, and he had fun."
"no, no, no!"

LP was tired, and she'd had it. she went up and sat on the stool, clutching MB's hand for dear life, and bawled through the whole thing. oh, well.

the bean and i didn't fare much better - i picked her up out of the stroller, and while she didn't cry, she was quite serious-looking. we couldn't get a smile out of her for anything. of course, as soon as we left, she was a happy camper and giggled and clapped her hands. stinker!

oh, and i snuck back into baby gap with the teen yesterday to use a coupon that was about to expire. we were absolutely DYING over this blazer and - get this - SKINNY jeans.

i had to get them both. I HAD TO! shut up.