Grocery Shopping with an Almost Toddler is Pure Hell

There I said it - no not the hellish shopping part, its the almost toddler fact that I am referring to! haha! Okay but in all seriousness - I mean it when I say that grocery shopping with Forrest has become a bit of a nightmare. There were times I almost enjoyed shopping with him. He'd sit in the car seat which attached to the shopping cart and 9 times out of ten he'd drift off to sleep! When he wasn't sleeping he was quietly looking around at all the sights in complete awe and amazement. Plenty of ladies would ooohhh and aaahhh over him and he'd eat it right up flashing a gummy grin or two or three and lapping up the attention! Well folks - things have changed - DRASTICALLY! These days he sits in the cart desperately trying to reach for whatever he can get into...such as plastic bags, cartons of eggs, bread, veggies, fruit, etc. Even going so far as to reach into my diaper bag, grab whatever he can and toss it on the ground! Yes the other week we almost had an instance with my wallet until thankfully I realized what he was doing and grabbed it; which immediately resulted in a bit of a... ummmm.... errrr... temper tantrum!! I've tried it all - bringing plenty of toys, mum mums (I stupidly forgot once and was 'that' woman who grabbed a brand new box and opened it before even paying for it). I've even tried those fancy shopping carts that looks like cars! Doesn't matter! I always end up tearing through the grocery store tossing groceries into my cart like a crazy woman on speed and it never fails - I ALWAYS forget something!! I don't get it, I talk to him the whole time we're shopping and try to entertain him and I'll even go so far as to sing (yes thats right, I'll belt out the ABC's or a 'You Are My Sunshin' in public and I'm not afraid of the stares and gigles it envokes from others). It seems that ever since he started walking it's gotten worse. He HATES being restrained in anything! His car seat, his stroller, a shopping cart - he is only happy when he is roaming free! Last night it literally took both John and I just to get him changed for bed - and I'm sure it was worse than wrestling an alligator (although I've never done that before)! Don't even get me started on bath time - he won't sit down on his little bum in the tub. Why no of course not thats crazy talk - its much more fun to stand up in the tub which is definitely leading mommy into some gray hairs because let's face it, thats uber unsafe! Oh dear - this is our life now...our life with an ALMOST TODDLER! Geesh that's insane, where did our little baby go?!