Aye, Aye, iPhone!

Life is returning back to normal for me after my recent iPhone scare. I take a time out to think exactly how I seem to have gotten here... here as in utterly dependent upon Steve Jobs' brilliant hand-held technology.
As everyone was jumping on the iPhone bandwagon in the beginning, Chris and I hung back and simply watched (that and there was no way we could afford to buy one, much less two phones and the service plan). Being avid Mac lovers and users, people constantly were asking, "When are you going to get one? Where's your iPhone?" I would just say, "Uh, my current phone is fine." It wasn't. In fact it was the worst phone I had ever owned. Chris knew I wanted an iPhone and would say, "We can get iPhones, but you know what has to happen." Ya, I knew but I wasn't ready to make that commitment.
You see, we had to give up our home phone. Chris made all the sense in the world like he always does. But I still wasn't ready to turn off our landline service. There is something kind of safe or grounded to me in my mind about a home phone. Silly and sentimental of me I know but the way I see it is its the number you learn to memorize because its YOUR home. Its like people with cell phones and no home number are nomadic and pick up and relocate all the time. I know its stupid. Anyway, contract renewal came up again on our phones and Chris presented me with the plan and I accepted it.
We got our phones and were so excited. For weeks and weeks, we tinkered around, adding new apps and finding comfort in Facebook and Vampires. Shortly after, the phones began to become less for us and more for the kids. My phone became completely filled with educational tools and games for the kids. Every time we went to a restaurant, anyone could see Aiden with Chris' phone and Reese with my own. They, too, had been initiated into the Apple World...and it was amazing.
And then something terrible happened. I loaded a virtual dog to my phone for Reese since Chris said we couldn't get a dog until he was dead and gone and probably not even then. It was Thanksgiving and we were running around crazy trying to get ready for my family to come over and I hear Chris scream in the kids' bathroom. "Aw, Reese, nooooooo!" I don't know how I knew, but I knew.
I was paralyzed when he brought me the wet iPhone that Reese accidentally dropped in the pee-filled toilet that she was trying to get off of. It was highly irresponsible of us to give our 2 1/2 year old a piece of equipment worth one month of her tuition but we knew it was an accident and not intentional. I immediately gave up hope that the phone would ever work again. The icons on the screen faded in and out and then wouldn't even turn on. When they would, I couldn't hear calls coming in.
Chris did some research online and found out that the majority of aqueous iPhone accidents occur when the phone falls in the toliet. Interesting. Anyway, he found something stating we should turn the phone off and let it sit in a bag of rice for a couple of days to get out all the moisture. It was worth a shot. For days I sat there longing to give and get status updates on my phone or listen to Pandora. I felt lost...alone. For a brief moment, I felt like an outsider of the iPhone world and became utterly jealous of anyone with one. It was as if they were mocking me.
Days later, the rice worked and I got my phone back. Verbally I stated to Chris that I didn't need another one for awhile if it had been ruined, but I was lying to myself. I think I probably thought about returning all the kids' Christmas presents so I could get another one. Okay, that was a joke.
So, have I learned a lesson about letting toddlers play with expensive things? Of course not. I have gained much admiration for those who have had iPhones and lost them... and to that, Kaela, I understand. And one day soon, I know the cool, sleek touch of the iPhone will once again be yours.

Ah, puppy love...

So, I am not quite sure how to start this silly blog off. I guess I can begin this whole thing off on a subject near and dear to many mothers' hearts, childhood romance. You see, my 5 year old son Aiden seems to be quite the Lothario at his school. I am not surprised. When Aiden was in his 3 year-old preschool class, he became smitten with a little girl in the class. I immediately knew who she was when I came home from accompanying him on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. As I was uploading images from my camera onto my computer, I came across a rather amusing sight.

Thinking that my vision was acting up, I opened the picture in Photoshop and cropped in further, thus revealing my son kissing his first love on the lips. A grin gleaned across my face. When Chris, my husband, came in the room, I showed him the picture. At first he seemed proud, and then his face turned to concern. He leaned into me and said, "Oooh, that's not good." I was confused. It was just a little kiss. Chris filled me in on his inside knowledge. "I know that little girl. Ya, her dad is a policeman. Way to go, Aiden." Immediately, I became overwhelmed with anxiety. I thought to myself, "In-laws!"



At that moment, it began. When I would come to preschool for any parties or events, I would often observe the little girls swooning around my son. Most little boys I know shudder at the thought of even mentioning that they have a girlfriend. Nope, not my kid. He is all about the ladies.





Recently, Aiden has been adding to his kindergarten harem. It started off as just one girl and now there's three. I went to school the other day to eat lunch with Aiden and there were random 4th and 5th grade girls stopping to tell him hi. WHAT! When I asked who they were he just said, "You know, some girls." I realized that this was happening way too fast for me.

On both Monday and Tuesday, I discovered artwork drawn for Aiden by a girl in his class. It looked like it was the first sign of love notes. I started to feel more ill as I read through them. There really was nothing to it. Just her name, a drawing of Spiderman and "To Aiden." The one from the day before really made me laugh because it reminded me so much of me. The little girl drew slices of pizza for Aiden and wrote the word pizza on it. Her "z's" were backward and Aiden corrected them. I remember in high school, my boyfriends would write me notes and I would send them back with corrections. Boy, was I mean. I digress.

Well, this brings me to the the pinnacle moment of Aiden's kindergarten love affair. Out of the blue today, I received an email from his teacher, simply titled "Aiden". As I opened the email, I shuddered to think that he was misbehaving or there was an accident. In large, bold red type, it merely said, "AIDEN KISSED ANNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And there it was, all spelled out for me. I should have known it was coming. He's been talking about her a lot these last few weeks and they ride the bus home in the afternoons. It was bound to happen.

I suppose this blog was a huge build up to a simple kiss but you know, that's my kid and I feel like the dating wheels have been put in motion. No, its not like I will be chaperoning Skate City dates anytime in the future but it does provide a glimpse into what will be coming. And so I think to myself, is there a double standard. I joke to myself that Aiden is a little ladies' man but what about his sister, Reese? She's only two and lord help the boy that crosses her path. Will I think it to be as sweet if a boy kisses her or if she's the one doing the pursuing? Just when I thought all I had to worry about was getting them prepared academically for life, now I have to prepare them socially.

I am just glad that my son is a gentleman at the ripe old age of 5. I recall boys like him in 5th grade wanting to be my boyfriend and passing me trinkets on the playground. I took them and threw them on the ground. I guess that was a precursor to my high school dating career. Anyway, I am proud he is happy and social and the girls like him, too. I guess that is all a mother can really want...and for those girls to leave my baby alone!