From the technology news desk

Soren is so much fun to hang out with these days.  There were days not too long ago when I would drop him off at daycare without much regret, grateful to have a ticket back to Grownup Land.  But now!  He's so interested in everything, and almost almost walking, and not quite talking.  I'm missing so much.  Also, he cries when I leave, which sucks.

What if his first step and first word both happen at daycare?  I wonder if they will even tell us. I probably wouldn't, if I were them.  Better to let the parents live in happy ignorance of everything they're missing.

**
**

From the technology news desk, my sloppy parenting in regard to my previous iPod was rewarded with a brand new iPod.  It's my first touch screen device ever, and I feel so very modern.  I was amazed that it has a pedometer that works, although I guess if you have a smart phone there's an app for that, right?  Probably not very impressive.

Which brings me to our second major story from the technology desk:  I am getting my very first smart phone.  Can you even believe what an early adopter I am?  We're getting fancy Droid phones that I guess would work in Paris, if we were to ever go to Paris. 

We turned in Soren's passport paperwork this weekend, so who knows where we'll jet off to this summer.  Someplace exotic, no doubt. Like Vancouver!

My baby ate my iPod

Well, not so much "ate" as "slobbered into submission."  The heartbreaking thing is that it still plays, but the screen display doesn't work, so I can't get where I want to go. 

I hadn't realized quite how much I have come to treasure my forty minutes of podcast-listening on the bus, but dear god, now that it's gone I can barely stand to go on living.  There's not a lot of alone time in my life right now, so "alone" with fifty commuting strangers and my imaginary radio friends who don't know me at all is as close as I get.

It's my own fault about the iPod, of course.  One of my defining characteristics as a parent is my laziness, and in some ways I think that parental laziness is a good thing.  I don't want to be one of those parents who feels they must intervene every other minute in an attempt to ensure that their child is developing at maximum velocity.

But.  It's probably better to be paying close enough attention to make sure that one's child is not ingesting personal electronic devices.  If not for the child, then certainly for me.

Endless cornholing

You know how I know I'm old?  I like a lot of these dresses, but I look at every single one and think, too short!  Waaaaaay too short.  That is not a dress, sweetie, it is a shirt. (It's impossible to even read that sentence without hearing the granny voice in your head, isn't it?)  I'm pretty sure I can see underpants.  Also, are we really supposed to be sporting the fashions of Naomi from Mama's Family this season?  I don't think I can get on board with that. 

Luckily I can't afford any new clothes so these dilemmas are strictly hypothetical.

**
**

This weekend begins my new life of having every other weekend off.  I was at the end of my rope with the working every single weekend thing, and I'm a little bit dizzy with the freedom of having two whole days off with the family.  We have about a hundred things planned:  brunch, zoo, karaoke, etc.  (Well, Soren might skip the karaoke.  He just can't ever remember how the songs go--it gets embarrassing.)

We're also having an open house this Sunday, so swing on by!  It's not a great house, but the price is right.  Plus it has, as our realtor pointed out in the listing, "Large lot perfect for endless games of croquet!"  We have played croquet there, but in recent years our yard has mostly featured cornhole tournaments.  I guess "perfect for endless cornholing" doesn't conjour up quite the same image of Edwardian aristocracy for prospective buyers.

Arrived

I used to think it was challenging to get both the baby and myself out the door with no major stains on our clothes or crackers in our hair.  But that was kid stuff.  Actually challenging?  Doing the same, while also making sure the house is left in pristine condition for prospective buyers.

Soren has actually been a little angel the past couple of mornings, dutifully crawling around, pulling himself up, and chewing on the furniture.  Almost as fun as having a puppy!  But there are still mornings when he has to be held the entire hour before we leave.  I've gotten good at applying mascara while balancing a baby on one hip.  When I can put on eyeliner the same way I'll know I've truly arrived.

Don't even have a baby

Today was an exciting day at the library.  First, I got asked out on a date by a gentleman named Swan.  Well, to be more accurate, I guess he asked me to ask him out on a date.  He suggested that I show him around some of my favorite area bars when I got off work.  When I told him that I had to go home to feed my baby,* he said, "I don't even HAVE a baby to go home to."

Later, a crazy drunk woman came to hang out in the Teen Center with her son.  Her son seemed like a sweet kid and I can only imagine that he was silently dying of embarrassment as his drunk (or possibly drugged) mom cursed our printing system up and down.  To be fair, our printing system is indeed an asshole, but still, lady.  Have some mercy on your thirteen-year-old kid.



*I don't know why this is the excuse I went with, except that it's true.