Judge's Choice Award

Every September our little town has a fair. I've mentioned it a time or two in this blog.  It's little, it's cute, it's family friendly. Aside from all the games, and vendors, and craft fairs every year they have a "Baby Contest". I had entered TT in said contest when he was a wee one; it's open to babies under the age of 1 year, and he didn't place. Husband decided the whole contest was rigged. I mean, how could they not see that out of the 50 or so babies gathered under the tent and sitting on hey bales with their parents that HE was the cutest.

So fast forward to this year and I tell Husband that I am entering ERP. He reminds me the contest is rigged and he makes plans to check out the fair with the Big Boys and his brother while ERP and I go to the Baby Contest.

We get a seat in the second row, but the judges ask to only have babies and a parent seated with them so a stop in the front opens up and ERP and I slip in. We fill out a card with his info, and place it on the backpack. When your baby gets selected for an award they take your card. Awards are offered - 1st, 2nd and 3rd for Best Personality, Youngest, Twins, Chubbiest, Handsomest and Prettiest and then Judge's Choice (the overall winner).

ERP and I are having a blast. We are seated between two little girls. One about 6 weeks old, her mom and I chatted about pumping and nursing and all that fun stuff. And the other girl was about 5.5 months old. ERP took a shine to her and kept hugging her and petting her soft jacket (and trying to eat her mom's long hair). He was standing on my lap. He was jumping up and down. He played with his toys and kept making judges pick them up for him. He was laughing and smiling. He was eating up all of the attention.

First the judges took the cards for the youngest - there was a three way tie for 3rd - all three were born on the same day. Then you heard rumors about them taking cards for other categories. While rumor had it they were taking cards for chubbiest they took ERP's card. Now I KNOW Mr-5-Percent-for-Weight was not chosen for chubbiest. So I thought maybe best dressed... which wasn't even a category... shows what I know. I sent Husband and brother-in-law a text that he placed and hope they would get the hint and come back to see him. (I should have been more blunt, but in their defense TT was being a total pill... he was All. Day. Long.)

They started calling prized and I kept wondering when they were going to call his name. The judges were running out of categories to award prizes for and I started thinking it was a mistake and he hasn't won anything. And then they announced the Judge's Choice. And sure enough ERP won.  I was shocked.

He won the biggest ribbon and got a cute little trophy. I was over the moon happy. So proud of my cute little guy. Husband was more shocked than I was when he got there.

We pinned his ribbon to him on the ring sling and happy wore him and his award around the fair for the rest of the day.  And we treated him to his first chocolate chip cookie - his first cookie - some of his first grains in fact - for a job well done.

ERP my beauty contest winner.

And no, he will NOT be the next Honey-Boo-Boo.  Can I just admit that RR and I get sucked into watching Toddlers and Tiaras?  Yup, it's true.