Thanks for commenting and e-mailing all of the wonderfully insightful praises for your parents' efforts. I so much enjoyed reading them. Turns out you liked that your parents fed you, didn't ignore you, and cracked you over the rump with a wooden spoon. Thanks, Mom and Dad! ***

So before I tell you where the chile and I went today, let me first state that I am aware of the SUCKER on my forehead. We had a grand morning at the World's Biggest Playgroup. Where? At the mall where I recently had a momentous monk sighting. I totally know. Let's corral all the moms of infants and tots in the greater Boston area under the guise of a playgroup on a rainy day into the center of a mall where their little suck monkeys will all inevitably have to be changed and where do you change a suck monkey in a mall? But of course in the department store restroom. Think of all the prime product placement we can stage on that stroller path. Skip skip skip to the loo!!

But, would you believe that the organizers were benign enough to put a curtained changing station right there in the middle of the mall!? And don't you know we moms were all lining up to change bums like they were doing free tummy tucks behind those curtains.

The playgroup itself was just adorable. Lots of music and munchkins and a whole spread of carpet with Boppy products. Baby Girl got put in her place by a tot, though. Alexa, who appeared to be 2 years old and large and in charge was not accepting the fact that Baby Girl was sitting pretty in a papasan chair when clearly she was not yet of size. Old Lexi was evidently the boss of me because I yanked Baby Girl from the throne, but then Lex was off telling mall security that the Boppy section was causing a fire hazard. You could totally see her in 16 years giving her RA mad beef about how she had a double that wasn't even as big as the single for the sorority girl down the hall.

The freebie tables were also in full effect and we shameless moms were all over the yogurt and cereal give-a-ways like there were golden tickets tucked within.

But my favorite part was taking the dumpling to get her picture made with Olivia the pig. Madigan looks completely aghast, wearing a onesie that is so not even in season. And me, geeked much?