"Are we being punked?"

Visiting public places with an infant is always an adventure.  One thing that I've noticed, in particular, is how different people react to a baby.  

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Some people seem annoyed.  When Will was a baby, we were at a men's league hockey game.  I was on my own, as Bill was playing in the game.  I needed to keep getting up and down for various reasons-- going into the diaper bag, picking up a dropped toy, adjusting the baby seat.  A guy sitting behind me, yelled at me to sit down.  I was pretty proud of myself for turning around and telling the guy to go park his ass somewhere else.  The arena was practically deserted-- there were hundreds of empty seats all around and the tickets were without seat numbers.

Some people seem indifferent.  A few months ago, I was on a long line at Target.  Liam was hungry and screaming.  Will was tired and getting into all kinds of trouble.  We didn't have too many items and I was hoping someone might be nice enough to let us skip ahead in line.  No such luck.  Not even a sympathetic glance.

Some people seem delighted.  Before Peapod, when I would visit the grocery store, some people would take the time to smile and talk to the baby.  Sometimes this exchange would be quick and pleasant, but at other times it would get rather uncomfortable.  Some people-- complete strangers-- would hold the baby's hand or rub the baby's cheek.  Although I never said anything, this would always make me feel a little uneasy.  

However, none of these experiences quite prepared me for yesterday's encounter.

We had lunch at a local hibachi restaurant for Valentine's Day.  We arrived at around 2 pm and the restaurant was pretty empty.  We had purposely chosen a time after lunch, but before dinner.  After the food was prepared and while we were eating, one of the servers approached.  I was balancing Liam on my knee and she asked, in broken English, how old he was.  Then, without saying a word, she stretched out her arms to hold him.  I guess that I was completely caught off guard, because in retrospect, I don't think I would have handed him over.  But I did.  I handed my six month old to this complete stranger.  

He was smiling and content and she stood in front of me holding him.  It was a little awkward, but it seemed fine.  Then she turned her back to us and started walking away.  She started weaving in and out of the tables and heading towards the back of the restaurant.  I looked at Bill and the people dining across from us looked at me.   I let out a nervous laugh and asked Bill if he thought we were being 'punked'.  She kept going.  I was on the edge of my seat.  Should I get up?  Go get him?  They were now in the back of the restaurant and I wasn't sure if she was going to head through the doors into the kitchen.

Just then, she turned around and came back.  Flooded with relief, I grabbed the camera and took this picture.  As I snapped the photo, Bill said, "You're totally going to put this in your blog, right?"

Right.  

Now how about leaving a comment?  What would you have done?  

(You can just fill-in your name where the form says "Name/URL"... You don't need an account!)

Expecting the Unexpected

Last week, the weather here was just horrible.  Rainy, windy, cold, then warm, then cold again.  We spent the entire week indoors.  Finally, on Friday, the sun came out and despite the cold, it was a beautiful day.  I had (or so I thought) a great idea.  

We hadn't walked to or from school in over a week.  (The photo at left shows our walk on a nice day in September.) Every morning, Will would ask if we could walk and I would have to console him as I explained why we couldn't.  On Friday, I bundled up Liam and we headed to school to surprise Will with a walk home.  As I entered Will's classroom, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading and waiting for me.  He jumped up and gave me a hug as Will's little friends circled Liam in his carrier.  (Liam is like a rockstar at Will's school.)  Will said goodbye to everyone as we put on his coat and headed outside.

"Where's the caaaaarrrrr?", he whined, as he saw the stroller parked next to the door.

"There's no car.  We're walking home, honey."  I could sense the impending drama.  Here it comes.

"Nooooooooooooo.  I don't want toooooo."

He spent the rest of the walk whining and complaining and begging me to pick him up and carry him.  I continued to push the stroller home, as fast as I could, all the while planning the fastest way to get Will into bed for a much needed nap.  Much needed... for me that is.

Fortunately, the "unexpected" works both ways.

In the past, I've always recruited Bill to accompany us for Christmas pictures.  From getting Will washed and dressed, to getting his cowlicks glued down, to getting him to smile and cooperate... I always thought about 'safety in numbers' and two against one is always safe, right?  This year, once again, it was two against one, but this time the odds were not in my favor.  Rather than wait two weeks for an evening appointment, I scheduled the photos for a morning when Bill was at work.  

I expected Will to be uncooperative and Liam to be fussy.  I expected Will to refuse to wear the sweater and I expected Liam to cry or spit up on his outfit.  I expected Will to make silly faces or break a prop and I expected that Liam would need a bottle or a diaper change as soon as it was time for our appointment to begin.  What I got was, of course, the unexpected.  Will was great.  He was completely agreeable (before, during and after) and the photographer commented on how wonderful he was.  Liam was happy and he delivered smile after smile, completely on cue.  For weeks, the anxiety of this appointment had been building and ultimately, it went off without a hitch.  Here are some of the photos... 

These days are filled with highs and lows, successes and failures... and almost always, the unexpected.