Is this OK?

We’ve had a couple of “misadventures” during the last few days.

On Saturday, heading to the mega Tar-zhay to do some shopping, Dave said “Fuck.”  Now, if I had said this, it wouldn’t mean much.  But for Dave to say it while he was driving, I knew something was up.  “The power steering is gone,”  he said.  “Fuck,” I replied.  (Conor’s next word is not going to be Mama.  I wonder why???)

It took AAA about 40 minutes to get there, so I went ahead with the shopping.  When I finished, the Subaru was loaded on the back of a flatbed truck and Dave had moved the baby’s carseat to the truck cab.  We decided that I would sit on Dave’s lap so that the carseat would be safe and secure.

I should point out that this was Conor’s first time sitting 1) facing forward, 2) in the front 3) of a huge, honking truck with large windows.  By the time I was climbing in, Conor was looking at Dave and me sideways, with a devious look on his face.  “Are you all OK with this? Because this is some pretty crazy stuff going on right now.  I’m not complaining, but you all have been holding out on this baby!!!” 

So we started back home.  Thinking he may be a bit thirsty, I gave Conor a few sips from a straw of my lemonade.  That was enough to set this child over the big boy edge.  He screwed up his face in the cold, bittersweet wonder of lemonade, and then clapped his hands for more.  He was bobbing and weaving, peering the best he could all around the truck and straining to look out the windows at the cars around us.  By the time the tow truck driver turned onto our street, Conor was reaching out to help him drive. 

We’ve since turned the carseats around in both cars and Conor is loving being able to see where he’s going as opposed to where he’s been.  I can look back at him in the rearview mirror and he just busts out laughing. 

And yes, Dave fixed the power steering belt which had snapped off the car.  Once again, he’s handy around the house!

Our second misadventure happened yesterday when the power went out at 5:45 pm.  In 100 degree weather.  Based on our previous experience of the Frontier House Honeymoon (power out for 10 days in 30 degree weather), when the power goes off for us, we think it could be weeks before it comes back on.  We decided to tackle that issue on a full stomach, so Dave changed into some shorts and we headed out to a family friendly place for a quick, inexpensive dinner. 

Instead, we chose The Charleston House, which we have known as a “low country” southern restaurant in not-the-nicest section of town (near us!).  We now know it as a high end “low country” southern restaurant in not-the-nicest section of town (near us!).  We enter in this upscale place (entrees are $16 -$23) in shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and sporting a baby.  They mistakenly sit us in the middle of the restaurant.  We mistakenly forgot to bring a bib or a sippy cup.  

They bring us cornbread for the baby (a hit!).  We let him sip out of our water glasses.  He loves the water and digs into the glasses for the ice.  We’re afraid he’s going to choke on big pieces of ice, so I dig into my own glass for him for a small bit of ice.  Dave does the same.  Dave comments out loud to no one in particular but yet to everyone in the place, “yes, we know we’re dressed like crap and we’re sticking our hands in our water glasses.” 

The owner comes over to make small talk and to help us with Conor.  Although Conor has been flirting with our waitress, when the owner and his deep booming voice tried to tickle Conor, he (the baby) started screaming.  The owner acted as if he was going to pick Conor up and the poor child got hysterical.  I picked him up to comfort him.  He began to wail upon my chest.  So in the middle of the restaurant, in our crappy clothes, with a screaming child, I nursed him. 

“Could we do much more to draw attention to ourselves?” I asked Dave.

“No,” he replied, “we’ve hit the max right now.” 

It was a quick, expensive dinner.  When we arrived home, the electricity was back on.  It had actually just come back on about 30 minutes before.  So the rice I’d put in the steamer just before the electricity had gone off was now done.  Great!  It’s in the fridge for tonight’s dinner.  We’ll have a cold rice salad if the electricity goes off again. 

Daycare

We’re on a few waiting lists including Hope Haven.  There is a chance, maybe even a good chance, that we’ll end back up in HH.  Right now, though, there are no spots that we are guaranteed anywhere.  Onward. 

11:59:27 AM