Thursday, June 09, 2005

Certainly not enough rambling

Yesterday Noah and I trekked out to Qtown to see my Dad and Oma. In the couple of hours I was there I spent the bulk of the time on the phone with Verizon and then Dell trying to hook up my father’s DSL. The Verizon helpdesk person was very helpful and quick to realize that the problem I was having was that the Norton Internet Security firewall was preventing proper installation .But we couldn’t figure out how to disable the damn thing – so I had to call Dell. Dell was not very helpful – after a very long wait and then making me poke around the computer aimlessly for twenty minutes before telling me I had to call Norton – I figured out the solution by my own damn self. Once the firewall was disabled it was a piece of cake. Oma kept Noah occupied most of the time and Dad made yummy burritos for lunch. Noah got a little edgy toward the afternoon – but only because he was overdue for his nap and I didn’t want him to nap until the drive home. I didn’t do much computer tutorial with Dad – he said he’ll just keep poking around on it a little each day until he figures how to use things. Trial and error. That’s how I learned the little I know and I think it’s the most effective way.

Dad has vacation from work this week so he came back to the city with Noah and I. Mark was kind enough to watch Noah so that Dad and I could go out to eat. We walked to The Standard Tap and had an excellent meal. Their burgers are to die for. They even make the heat of their lack of air conditioning bearable. I’m a bit puzzled about why they can’t even install a ceiling fan for better air circulation – but whatever. Dad had the soft crab sandwich. The guacamole and tomatillos looked really good – but I could never eat a whole crab – shell and all. Yick. Dad however enjoyed it.

We got back just in time for me to put Noah down for bed and then we watched National Treasure. We’re not big on action flicks but I’ll attempt to watch anything set in Philly and I saw them film some of National Treasure when I worked across the street from Independence Hall. It actually wasn’t bad. And it was the perfect movie to watch with my Dad who does enjoy action films and Nicholas Cage - so it was kismet that it arrived that day from Netflix.

Noah woke me up around 5 am again this morning. He was whimpering and crying in his sleep for a half hour. I guess he was having a nightmare. What do infants have nightmares about? Both Mark and I were wide awake trying to comfort him without waking him up. When he finally woke up he was in fine spirits despite his sleep crying moments prior. After Mark went to work Dad, Noah and I went for breakfast. We headed to Honey’s but it wasn’t open despite the hours on the door confirming that it should have been – so we went to Silk City Diner. I’ve been a regular at Silk City Diner since 1995 – but Mark, Noah and I haven’t gone together because the dining car size of the place indicated to me that they couldn’t possibly have highchairs. Lo and behold that though they don’t have high chairs they do have those chairs that hang off the table and over the bench seats. It was a perfect setup because Noah was at the table with us. Our breakfast was lovely and Noah got A LOT of attention from a doting waitress. She even sat down next to us and played with him for a minute. He’s such a hit with the ladies. Which brings me to something I’m always thinking about – strangers and babies. It is SO ackward for me when strangers interact with Noah – but not only do they not speak to me, they avoid even looking at me. This even happens with the Bjorn when Noah’s head is just inches beneath mine. What the heck am I supposed to do and where am I supposed to look when a stranger is chatting away with Noah? It’s SO weird.

Anyway – after breakfast we went to the Gallery and did some quick shopping and left a generous Dad to catch a train back to his neck of the woods. It was a nice visit. In recent years my Dad and I have been a little estranged and though some of the issues remain I decided when I was pregnant with Noah that I needed to put them aside. My Dad loves me and wants to be a part of my life – and certainly a part of Noah’s life – and there was no way I could deny Noah the love of his grandfather. And that decision has been a good one because I missed my Dad and it’s really rewarding to see how much he enjoys being with my son.

So was that a long enough sum up of my last two days? Should I have included more info on every meal we consumed and how many trips we all made to the bathroom? Sorry I was so succinct.

7 comments:

hazel said...

I love long posts.

I'm so glad you had a good time with your dad. it all sounds fabulous, except for the soft shell crab. I think that's what they'd feed me if I were in hell.

regarding people talking to the baby and not you - I just say "thank you" when they get around to telling bella she's cute or something. I mean, she's not going to talk no matter what they say to her, so it's up to me. and it reminds them that I exist.

Marksthespot said...

What infants have nightmares about.

Missuz J said...

Isn't it great/weird/interesting how grand-kids can make your parents forgive you for your misspent teen-years (ok--maybe not for you--but at least for me) and help you to see that they are actually pretty nice too?

dasereht said...

I think about this a lot - if Todd and I have a child, will I somehow miraculously patch things up with my bio mom? My gut says HELL NO, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility.

I (like you) don't eat red meat very often, but when I'm feeling carnivorous, a Tap burger is frequently what I crave. Mmmmm.

Jen O. said...

Seeing your dad step up has been fascinating, and great. It's almost like he grew up when he realized he was a grandfather.

Kodi said...

What I had a hard time with when people would talk to my baby was trying not to answer for her, since she was like 8 months old and had a very limited vocabulary. Why do we do that? It's so silly.

I tell Kiri all the time that the man she knows as Grandpa isn't the same man that raised me. Being a grandparent changes people, makes them more forgiving and tolerant.

NME said...

My Dad and I were always very close. I was a definite Daddy's girl - much to the chagrin of my mother who had to parent me fulltime. It's only been the last couple of years that things haven't been great between us - and that was more because of how I felt about things going on with my baby sister and my Dad - and not me directly. But I have to attempt to disregard those concerns so that Noah and I can enjoy spending time with my Dad. It's not always easy - but it is so totally worth it.