It all started about 13.5 months ago. Yes, my friends, that is over a YEAR ago now that I have been hearing the bloodcurdling screams from little Claire's mouth. She first began it just to see how she sounded, but now it's evolved into screams of frustration, irritation, or annoyance, which for an almost two-year-old, can be quite often.
Thankfully, she doesn't scream when we are out running errands, eating at restaurants, going to church, or at friend's houses (most of the time). However, she does it mostly when we are at home, or even better, in the car. Nothing like a bloodcurdling scream held for five seconds inside a small space. Caroline has started telling her, "No," when she does that, but that only makes her scream more. I find that pretty amusing, and we have tried everything from ignoring her to disciplining her to blaring the radio to rolling down the window to taking away toys - nothing seems to work.
I have tried hard not to show her that it bothers me, but apparently, whenever I am present, she finds that screaming is her best friend. Somehow my attempts to ignore it have fueled her more. We've even tried setting up a screaming room for her, and she likes to go in there, but it doesn't stop her the next time. The other day she was staying at my mom's for a few hours, and about 30 seconds after I walked in the door, she resumed screaming (albeit at a lower volume, but still, it's the principle at this point). In her mind, Mom = screaming.
I googled "screaming in the car," and I saw many posts from moms who said their 3.5 year old screams in the car. I panicked at the thought that I could be in for 2 more YEARS of this? Good times, is all I can say.
After making it to the mall, we waited in front of the fireplace, and this was pretty much how the rest of the "Santa visit" went. Both girls are going through a "Mommy attachment" phase right now, not even really letting Paul hold them that much. To make things worse, they both want me to hold them, which I can do for about 5 minutes, but holding 50 pounds at the same time is pretty hard without a break. Inevitably, the girl I put down bursts into tears and isn't satisfied until I pick her up again. It doesn't help for me to hold her hand, she has to be attached to me somehow. 
Cousin Emma came with us and everyone was excited for a picture before seeing Santa!
Needless to say, I have zero pictures of Santa...one, because the mall ladies wouldn't let me take pictures, and two, as soon as I put the girls on his lap, they reached out for me and screamed. Not happy campers! So, we just decided to ride the train instead and ended the mall visit much more happily than we started. 
We love the train, but Santa...not so much. 
