Maybe if I say it 100 more times, I might actually gather enough to get through today.

Yes, I am having one of those days. A day when nothing seems to make Miss Emma happy. She is so out of sorts, it’s making me out of sorts. I sure hope it’s teeth because it’s too early for those terrible twos to be hitting, isn’t it?

Case in point: We MUST read the same book (“boop”) a hundred times over and over again. Don’t even THINK about another book or Emma’s evil twin will roll around the floor as if her life has completely ended.

And what? You want to put food INSIDE her plastic bowl at lunchtime? Oh no, you must let her turn it over so that you put the food ON TOP of her now upside-down bowl. Refuse and the fork will end up in your eye.

Basically, it’s her way or the cryway today.

Now I know all about picking your battles and distraction, but oh my word, this is nuts. Yes, she has an ear infection and a cold, but she’s been on meds since last Friday and does not have a fever. The boogies have been clear the whole time, so maybe it really is teeth.

Yes, that must be it.

Say it with me now: It’s the teeth; it’s the teeth; it’s the teeth…

I have been tagged by Kelli Belly! I have never done this before because the focus of my blog is Emma. Still, I don’t want to spoil all the fun. Plus, Emma should know a few things about her Mommy! And feel free to play along in the “Comments” section. Emma should know about her Commenters too!

A- Available or married? Married for 6 years, but taken for 10.

B- Best Friend? Definitely Jeff. But my best girlfriend is my sister.

C- Cake or Pie? Pie, I guess. But why aren’t brownies an option? ;o)

D- Drink of Choice? Water. But I do like me a Decaf Soy Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks

E- Essential Item? Bottle of water and a container of Cherrios

F- Favorite Color? Blue

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Neither, but I guess gummi bears if I have to pick.

H- Hometown? Southwest Suburb of Chicago

I- Indulgence? See second half of “D”; Also guilty of reading US Weekly. (I know, I know…)

J- January or February? February…. it’s closer to Spring!

K- Kids & names? Emma Kay (17 months)

L- Life is incomplete without? God & my family!

M- Marriage Date? September 8

N- Number of Siblings? 1 older sister, 1 younger brother. Also 1 brother-in-law, 2 sister-in-laws, a brother-in-law to be (September 28), and a sister-in-law to be (we’re still waiting, Uncle Nonny… J/K ;o).

O- Oranges or apples? Clemetines

P- Phobias/Fears? Confined spaces — no Fear Factor for me!

Q-Favorite Quote? “The only thing you can take with you to Heaven is other people.” (Not sure of the author.)

R- Reason to Smile? My baby girl’s giggle

S- Season? Spring — love the smell of rain and the hint of summer!

T- Tag three people! I Am Not, Mama of Four, and Days of My Life

U- Unknown fact about me: I have a belly button ring… Well, used to. It’s now a empty hole that shall forever remain empty…

W- Worst habit? Not knowing when to shut up. I also think I might interrupt people a lot…

Y- Your favorite food? Anything Italian!

Z- Zodiac? Don’t believe in this, but I think I’m on the “cusp” of two signs. My birthday is Oct. 23. You can look it up if you really want! :o)

As I have written in the past, I am a worry wart. Actually, it is probably more accurate to say I am control freak, which means I worry about things I have no control over. As a Christian, I know I’m not really in control of anything, but of course, that concept is a little easier said than done.

Enter Emma. Since the day I saw those two pink lines, I reached a whole new level of worry. Her sleep, her allergies, her reflux, colds — and that was just the beginning. Now we have cuts and scrapes and who knows what else in our future!

So it is my nature to worry. Yes, it is in all of our natures to worry (especially as parents), but I happen to know this is one of those things God really wants me to work on. And, of course, is His total awesomeness, He gave me exactly what I needed today.

For the last few weeks, it has been the debate around here whether Emma was getting tooth #7 or cold #532. The molar that popped through last week seem to confirm the tooth theory, but the continuation of the runny nose, night wakings and ear pulling made me a little nervous another ear infection was around the corner.

The good news is that Emma always teethes in twos, so of course it has to be the other molar. No need to call the doctor. No need to worry. So what if she’s always exhausted because she is waking up ALL.THE.TIME? And so what if she’s eating goofy and hanging on my leg every second? It is her teeth. Yes, it has to be her teeth. (Breathe, breathe.)

Then this morning she wakes up with a bad cough and a REALLY runny nose. So cold #532 is officially here, and tooth #8 is not. I begin to wonder, are kids always sick or is it just mine? Between her tummy and her colds, I swear this kid is never 100 percent, which makes me so sad for her. And it makes me worry something else is really going on. Needless to say, emotionally, I was not in top form this morning.

So Jeff offers to stay home from church so I can go. I end up taking him up on his offer, although with huge amounts of guilt that I am leaving my sick child behind. But take one guess what today’s sermon is called… “Wrestling with Worry.” Of course it is!

Most of the message revolved around Matthew 6:25-34, which is always a great reminder that we are to give up our worries to God. Simply put, to worry is to distrust Him. Yes, we are human and will worry anyway, but we have to believe that He is in control and remind ourselves that if He has the power to create us, He certainly has the power to take care of the little worries in our lives.

But the real nugget I took away from today’s sermon was a sentence containing two simple words that now mean more to me than they ever have: I Am.

You see, God is the “I Am,” which means He is alive — here and now. He isn’t the “I Was” or “I Will Be.” He is the “I Am.”

In the same way, we are to live in today, because we truly don’t know what tomorrow brings. And while the tragedies and sins of yesterday can’t be forgotten, we also can’t allow them to interfere with our joy today. I have a child I love more than anything right now, and in the end, nothing else matters. Not what happened yesterday, or what could happen tomorrow.

What a blessing those two simple words are — and what a comfort! Knowing He is the “I Am” means I am loved and taken care of — and more importantly, so is Emma. But without that knowledge, I am, well, just a worry wart…

Yes, while other bloggers post about important controversial topics such as vaccinations and nursing, I am stuck on shoes.

So I read and read about all these ways to be the best mommy ever, trying to do my best while using some good judgement. I admit that my instincts are pretty good when it comes to Emma, but my confidence is not so good. Therefore, books offer me the reassurance I need. Information is my mommy mo-jo.

Anyway, I read early on about how soft-soled shoes are the best for kids (besides bare feet) until they are about 2 years old. And after my good friend turned me on to Robeez, I was sold.

However, as Emma and her wardrobe grew, I came to realize that Robeez do not match every outfit unless I plan on buying a million pairs. That plan might work if that darn money tree wouldn’t have stopped growing, but it has, and so we are left with two pairs of shoes. Cute shoes, yes, but versatile, no.

So the search was on for soft-soled shoes that would be more versatile. I found a few online, but after a bad experience with a pair of soft sandals over the summer, I was afraid the shoes won’t be the right size. And I HATE paying for shipping, let alone re-shipping for exchange. Plus, with rain and snow in the forecast, soft-soled didn’t quite seem worth the investment.

I then started to entertain the idea of Stride Rites. Just a pair of gym shoes and a pair of dress shoes would do. No harm done, right? Other kids walk around with hard-soled shoes all the time. Heck, we survived without Robeez. But the guilt remained as I feared Emma’s feet would turn into some sort of deformed paws. So still no shoes.

Then Emma received some cute hand-me-down hard-soled shoes from one of my friends. A brown pair and a black pair. They are cute, but certainly not Stride Rites. But they are free. And cute. And free. Emma also walks in them great and LOVES to wear them around the house. But these are on “borrow,” so I don’t want to scuff them all up.

So now I am asking you for your opinion. Your HONEST opinion on this oh-so controversial topic:

Hard- or soft-soled?

Stride Rites or Target?

And be brutal. I may not agree with you — or take your advice — but this mommy needs her mo-jo and baby needs a new pair of shoes. Help!