Tony Danza

I'm not a marketing genius, but I did hit the jackpot by using Oprah's name to title my last blog. Just as a disclaimer, she hasn't endorsed me yet. As another disclaimer, I don't endorse Oprah. But as I promised, this blog is titled Tony Danza. If my Grandma Lucy could execute an internet search, she'd probably hit my blog. She's a huge Tony Danza fan. But that will never happen. Charlie and I called her on the way to the zoo this morning. When the phone rings over the car speakers, Charlie says, "Lucy."

It took the entire twenty-five minute drive to walk her through deleting a message on her Comcast television menu. Apparently there was a small red LED light on the cable box which was activated by the message. It sounded like that small red light had been a source of frustration for many days for my grandparents. I was happy to help them. It was 10:30am and I already had something accomplished. It felt good. I also was grateful to have to hang up when Charlie started screaming "Out! Out!" because Grandma Lucy was then trying to get me to troubleshoot her cell phone after she'd already taken it to Sam's Club five times.

Charlie's new thing is climbing barstools. We have two tall ones that slide under the granite countertop of the peninsula in our kitchen. We hardly ever use them. Occasionally we use them if we have more than six people dining with us. Our table from Cost Plus World Market, with extensions, seats eight, but we only have six chairs. I assembled all of them in the garage with a socket wrench last Thanksgiving. The garage was cold. I'm glad we didn't get eight. That is, except when we do have eight people dining. It is really awkward to sit at the table with the barstools because the seat height level with the table top. And because the chairs back to the dining table, if they are used at the bar the people using them feel like they are in time out. It's easier to set the table for six.

I was sitting at the dining room table working on that cover letter and I lost track of Charlie. I was awake. Since he is getting up at 6:30am every morning now and not napping until 3pm today, I am wiped out come 1pm. After we came home from the zoo at 1pm, I did not immediately try to put him down for a nap. It had been two days since he'd pooped and being backed up like that can shorten his nap because I guess he's uncomfortable. In addition to quickening his nap, he loses his appetite too. That makes sense to me. All he really wanted at the zoo cafeteria today was Gerber pureed bananas. He also picked at the mandarin oranges I put on his plate. He'd pick one up in his hands, extend his arm toward me, like he was going to feed me, then pop it in his mouth. He ate two pieces of strawberry and balked on eating one blueberry. Of the PB&J I spread on a pair of Oroweat sandwich thins, he nibbled on two quarters. But he did eat all of his "Nemos." Nemo snacks are so delicious. Charlie wakes up and asks for them now. Kellogg's makes them. Get a box for you and another for your child. Hide your box and only eat them alone. I wait until Charlie goes to bed. He got to bed at eight tonight. As I was saying, his wake time is early and when I was waiting for him to poop before putting him down for his nap sometime between 1pm and 3pm I must have dozed about six times. Each slip was less than five minutes I think. He kept bringing books over and waking me. I could barely keep my eyes open. I perked up enough to encourage his counting. He opened a counting book and what does he want me to count? Sheep -twelve sheep- three rows of four. I didn't get to six before I nodded off again. I put him down after I changed his diaper and gave him a bottle of milk diluted with water to keep him from backing up again.

It was when he woke and I was at the table and he was independently playing that I lost track of him. I heard him breathing hard behind me. I turned around and he had pushed the bar chair out and was halfway on the seat lying on his chest. When I caught him, I said, "What are you doing?" and he thought that was the funniest thing ever. He could hardly finish climbing up in the chair for all his laughing. He must have thought he was pretty slick and pulling a fast one on his old man. I couldn't help but take him down and watch him do it all over again.