People Suck

OK, so this post isn't exactly about Will, but he was there, and I want to write about it, so here goes. On Friday afternoon, while at lunch at Panera with four friends and Will, someone managed to take two credit cards out of my wallet. Now, I will admit that I was distracted with the baby. I will admit that I should have zipped up my purse. But that still doesn't give them the right to take my credit cards and then charge $2000 at Walgreens (yes, Walgreens--they bought AMEX gift cards), $750 at Gus Mayer, and then head to Cracker Barrel for a relaxing dinner!

To answer the questions everyone (including the police) has been asking me:
1. Yes, I'm sure it happened at Panera. I gave my credit card to Sarah to buy my lunch and put it back in my wallet (which I guess the thieves saw me do). Immediately after lunch, in the car, I noticed that my wallet was open and the cards were missing.
2. No, I don't know how this could have happened while all of us were sitting there, my purse right next to us.
3. No, I didn't see anyone suspicious. Particularly not the enormous man in the video the police showed me. If he had gotten near us, I feel sure someone would have noticed.
4. Yes, of course I have canceled the cards. But it's still a pain. We are waiting on Wachovia to refund our money to our checking account (one of the cards was my check card) which is a real drag. I filed a police report with the Vestavia police, and they have good video from Walgreens and hope to get more from Gus Mayer. My case might even be on Crime Stoppers!

I learned three lessons (if not more) from this, so I guess it wasn't completely worthless:
1. Don't carry your debit/check card with you if you don't use it often. It has been much more of a hassle to get money back from Wachovia than it was to deal with American Express. Plus, it's actual money instead of credit!
2. Always zip up your purse and keep your eye on it.
3. Try not to be so distracted when you're out and about that you don't notice what's going on around you. Of course, I feel better that no one at my table noticed anything...I guess we are all oblivious!

The Jolly Green Giant

"Uh oh."
These are not the words you want to hear from your husband first thing in the morning as you're stumbling out of bed.

"What? What happened?"

"Well, Will and I were sitting at the desk and he got something out of the drawer that he shouldn't have."

"OK.... What was it?"

"You'll see. Just wait."

So, I walk in his room, and then I notice...on his hands, on Zach's hands, a little smudge on his PJs, a small stain on his forehead...green ink! Yes, at 7:00 this morning, while sitting in Zach's lap, Will somehow managed to pull a green ink pad (that was obviously not closed properly) out of the desk drawer and get it everywhere! A lovely start to the morning.

I Don't Want to Forget

• How sometimes Will stops playing and crawls over just to give me a little hug and rest his head on my shoulder.
• The joy on Will's face as he splashes in the bathtub, and the way he lets us know he's ready to get out by pulling up on the side of the tub and attempting to crawl out.
• The bug bite he currently has on the very tip of his nose that makes him resemble Rudolph.
• The way he pushes his bottle away and scoots up on my shoulder when he's ready for a cuddle before bed.
• How he likes to point at EVERYTHING, but particularly lights and signs, and particularly in the grocery store, calling our attention to the coveted object by saying "Duh! DUH!" (which I think means "Look")
• How, when I asked him where the light was, he pointed directly at the lamp. And when I asked him where Mama was, he pointed at the lamp again.
• The way he army crawled around Zach's office, with a red ball in each hand, propelling himself on his elbows and pushing off with his toes.
• The way he comes into our home office, presses the lit copy button on the printer/copier, and looks delighted when it spits out a blank piece of paper.
• How he gobbles up most food, but especially loves itty bitty pieces of chicken, watermelon, or goldfish that he can feed himself.
• How, despite having a fever of 101 and (we found out later) a double ear infection and respiratory infection, Will acted like the picture of health and explored EVERY BIT of the doctor's waiting room.
• The way he examines everything by licking it. Recent items have included the front of our stove, my face, and the step stool at the doctor's office. And yes, I let him do this (most of the time). And no, I don't think that's why he got an ear infection.
• The way he likes to say bye-bye to everything (on his own timetable, of course). Yesterday, he said bye-bye to the dirty diapers while Zach was taking out the trash, and he also told the book bye-bye when I put it on the shelf. Of course, if we WANT him to say bye-bye, say, to an actual person, he suddenly becomes mute and looks at us like he has no idea what we are talking about.
• The way he babbles incessantly when he is alone or thinks he is...like in his crib in the morning or in the car seat. I love to hear his little voice and all of the sounds he makes. I think he truly believes he is having a conversation. He's got a lot to say.
• The way he looks when he is sleeping. The way he sleeps (like a real person!) on his side, all curled up. The way he sometimes puts his wrist on the mattress and his arm up at a right angle, which looks like the most uncomfortable position ever.

And a few things I'd rather not remember:

• How he acts like he's having a seizure--shaking his whole body, starting with his legs and moving up--if you try to remove him from an activity that he doesn't want to be removed from.
• How he INSISTS on pulling out the TiVo wires and pressing the buttons, despite having been told 'no' at least 76 times and removed from the area (for information on his reaction to this, see previous bullet).
• His recently developed trick of spitting and blowing bubbles while he has baby food in his mouth.
• The way he tries to flip over on his stomach, sit up, and escape while you try to change his diaper, clinging to the side of the changing table with a death grip if you try to "encourage" him to stay on his back. This is especially nice if he has a dirty diaper. And, I really like this trick if he adds screaming and wailing to the mix.

Looking at these lists, it looks like he's still worth it.

Handyman

If anyone needs someone to turn off your lights (switches only) for you, I have got just the guy! He is also handy at pulling magnets off of the refridgerator, "reorganizing" your shoes, destroying any magazines you are just sick of looking at, checking your air vents, and pulling (multiple) kleenex/baby wipes from the box. So if these are chores that you are looking to outsource, give me a ring!

Sneaky Little Devil

Will and I went out to lunch at Olexa's with some of my girlfriends on Saturday. I spent most of the meal clearing food, utensils, napkins, etc. out of his path. Yet...I was holding him and trying to talk to one of my friends at the same time. Apparently I was not paying enough attention to his every move because I looked down at Will's face, and it had chocolate cake crumbs all over it! Oh well...it IS really good cake. I can't blame him for wanting a taste.

Will also managed to lock our TiVo remote on Saturday. He was playing with it, and then I noticed that the red light was on and that none of the buttons worked. I tried pressing various buttons in combination with other buttons to unlock it, but nothing worked. So, I just gave it back to him, figuring that he couldn't mess it up anymore and Zach could deal with it when he got home. Well, what do you know...30 seconds later, the light had gone off and the buttons worked again. Will had locked us out of TiVo, but then unlocked us, too. I think he must be a genius.

On Sunday we took Will on his first trip to the "big" pool at the Y (i.e., not the baby pool in our backyard). He seemed to really enjoy it, although he was a little tentative at first with not being able to put his feet down. We held him the whole time (obviously), and he had fun splashing and even putting his face in a little bit. There was a family with three little girls who were all VERY interested in the "baby" and what he was doing. Will egged them on, being the little flirt that he is! I also loved watching a little boy who "will be two in August" and seeing what Will will be like next summer.

A Wedding and an Illness

Last weekend (June 16th), Melanie and Bob got married! It was a wonderful weekend full of lots of fun activities. Everything was perfect. I don't just mean that everything was perfect despite minor problems. I mean that their wedding went off without a hitch! I've never seen anything like it--nothing went wrong, not even something tiny like no quesadilla bar (like at our wedding). The flowers were beautiful, the groomsmen behaved, no one tripped, they didn't smash cake...you couldn't ask for much more in a wedding. I was so happy for them, and it was wonderful to spend time with so many family and friends. I really enjoyed meeting Bob's friends and family.

The only minor hitch (which didn't affect the wedding) was that Will woke up on Saturday with 103 fever! The boy has never been sick, and he has to choose Mel's wedding day to start. Luckily, Carol was in town to stay with him during all of the wedding festivities. And, Zach was able to take him to the doctor that morning and get a shot of antibiotics. Dr. Levin was a guest at the wedding, so he knew what we were dealing with and was willing to do anything to help Will feel better (the benefit of having a family friend as your pediatrician). The fever went down by Sunday night, and Sweet Potato is doing just fine. Although, he still (over a week later) has a runny nose and a gross cough, and as of yesterday, a low-grade fever. But to some extent, I think these are just ever-present. I have been debating whether to take him back to the doctor. And, Zach and Carol have both contracted a version of Will's illness. By my calculations, I should be getting sick on Wednesday. I'll keep you posted.

Where's the love?

Scene: Will's bathtub on Thursday night. Zach is out of town until Sunday. Will is playing and splashing happily in the tub.

Me: Will, can you say "Mama"?
Will (looking straight at me): Da Da.
Me: No, not Dada. MA-MA.
Will: Da Da.
Me: No, Will. Mama. MA. MA.
Will: DA. DA.

This continues for several more iterations, until, defeated, I give up.