Dillierama

At the mercy of the US Postal Service

Because I know the Internet is awaiting the arrival of Alex's passport as anxiously as I am (ha ha).

Alex's passport has been processed and sent out!  WOO HOO! 

The bad news?  Their estimated delivery date is 2/4.  Ahem.  SUNDAY.  No mail delivery on Sundays.  So we're really cutting it close hoping it arrives by Monday.  They've provided me with a confirmation number (at this point, it isn't giving any status, presumably because it was just sent).  I suspect the rest of my week will be spent obsessively checking the status on this package.

Passport drama

I was right in being worried about Alex's passport not showing up with mine.  Apparently due to a data entry error, Alex's passport has been held up.  Some nitwit entered his birthdate incorrectly, and apparently this error caused them to stop processing his passport (despite the fact that both his birth certificate AND his application state his correct birthdate).  Just goes to show you can't trust anyone to get things done properly or in a timely manner. 

This means our trip, or more accurately, Alex's and my trip (as John has to go next week regardless of whether or not Alex's passport arrives) may be postponed.  This makes me so frustrated, my head could burst into flames at any moment.

I have made four calls to the National Passport Information Center since yesterday afternoon trying to sort the whole thing out.  So far, I've gotten no where.  The first two calls I was told they never recieved Alex's application at all.  A few colorful explatives and a frantic phone call to my husband later, I called them again (calmer now after having talked to John) to find out about the birthdate snafoo.  I was assured that everytihg would get rolling again and we should receive the passport by Saturday.  I called them again this morning (of course I don't trust them) and it's still not fixed.  I was told to call again tonight. 

Oh, I'll be calling you this afternoon National Passport Information Center.  In fact, I'll be calling you a minimum of twice a day every day until I get that passport in my hot little hands.  You don't know nagging until you've met Jamie Dillier.  I was born to nag. 

Farting and bee poop

Him (nudging me awake in the middle of the night): "Did you just fart?"
Me:  "What?"
Him:  "I thought I heard you just fart"
Me:  "Did you seriously wake me up to ask me that? I'm asleep."
Him:  "Were you really asleep or are you just pretending you were because you farted?"
Me: "You woke me up.  I don't know if I farted.  Maybe I did.  I can't be held responsible for things I do when I'm sleeping"
Him:  "You farted"
Me:  "I was ASLEEP!"

Since we were now awake because of my alleged farting, we ended up having this gem of a conversation:

"Did you know that honey is bee vomit?"
"Really?"
"Yea, I saw something on TV about it.  Isn't it gross?"
"No"
"No?  It's vomit!  Ew!"
"But it's from a bee.  It's not real vomit.  It's honey"
"Maybe it's bee poop not vomit.  I'll have to look that up."
"Bee poop huh?"
"Yea, if it is bee poop, would you still eat it?"
"Well yea, I mean, it's not really poop, it's honey"
"So if they labeled those little bears 'Bee Poop' you'd still eat it?"
"Well, when you're saying 'bee poop', it's not like real poop, it's honey, and it's good"
"What if I pooped honey, would you eat it?"

 

Smarter than the average bear

We're in the office and Alex grabs the phone off the charger and takes off with it laughing.  I chase after him and snag the phone back.

He returns, grabs the phone off the charger again, takes off laughing, closes the office door in my face and runs away.  I open the door and find him hiding behind one of our sofas pushing buttons on the phone.  I snag the phone back.

Undaunted, he returns again and hands me a toy and babbles something to me.  I take the toy and look at it, saying inane things to him like "Wow, isn't this a great toy. Thank you!"  while continuing to surf the web.  I hear the door shut behind me and the sound of laughter.  He's stolen the phone again after distracting me with the toy.  Again I grab the phone and I put it up on the printer out of his reach.

Alex returns once more, again with another toy.  But I'm on to him, and besides, the phone is out of reach.  He busies himself by getting into the box we have under our desk that hold receipts.  He opens it up and flings receipts all over the room.  I move him out of the way and start cleaning up his mess.  Just as I'm about done, the door closes and I hear an evil toddler laugh and the sound of him running away.  The phone?  It's gone.  I still don't know how he did it, but clearly the kid can outsmart me.

The new toy

Me:  "So, are you going to let me use your new MP3 player on our trip?"
Him:  "You've got your own"
Me:  "But why would I bring mine if I could just use yours?"
Him:  "Why would you use mine if you've got your own?"
Me:  "I want to use the cool one.  Mine's old.  I'll only use it if you're not."
Him:  "No"
Me:  "Meanie"
Him:  "But you've got your own"
Me:  "Meanie"

T minus 10 days and counting

Well, it's getting down to the wire now.  We're 10 days from take off and I'm beginning the "freak out spiral" that will likely last until we're safely tucked in bed at our hotel in Panama City with our bodies and luggage intact.  Every post for the next 10 days will probably be about our upcoming trip and how I'm freaking out.  Consider yourselves warned.

My passport arrived a couple of days ago (my picture is monumentally horrible.  It's too bright and they took it so close up that I look like I've got a giant head) but Alex's passport is still MIA.  They told us not to expect either of them until Feb 2nd, and I was (kinda) cool about that.  But since mine got here and Alex's didn't, despite the fact that we applied the very same day, I'm getting a bit anxious.  It's not likely that anything could be holding it up, he's as American as apple pie.  His passport application was really straight forward, and we provided all of the appropriate documentation and signatures.  But I worry none-the-less. 

I've finally found out what hotel we'll be staying in and confirmed that they do take Discover Card, and was breathing a sigh of relief until I took a closer look at the reservation and noticed two problems.  It has us checking out on March 7th (we don't leave until March 10th).  This makes me worry because when I was on the phone with the reservation agent she mentioned the hotel is booked solid.  I can't do anything to fix it because John's work is supposed to make all of the preparations.  So I have to rely on him to fix it.  Basically that means I've got to nag him all week to contact someone about it.  Problem number two is that even though we are getting a discounted rate, our hotel stay will still cost about $4500.  We have a limit of $3000 on our card.  So John's on the phone right now trying to raise our limit. 

There is some good news though.  We've arranged for John's sister to house sit.  She comes as a package deal including a boyfriend and a guard dog.  So the house and our kitty will be well cared for.  I've borrowed some nice luggage from my mother and have already begun to pack mine and Alex's bags.  John will pack his own probably the hour before we leave for the airport.  Alex still fits in last summer's clothes, I just need to get him some new sandals (he was a size 2 last summer, now, he's a size 6!  He's got his daddy's gigantic feet.).  And, the Dill Chip still has 10 days to make her big debut so John and I don't have to wait a whole month to see our new niece (no pressure Jen). 

Is it just me?

Or is this one handsome little boy?

Peek-a-boo

Now that I've learned how to embed YouTube videos in my blog, I think I'll treat you to another one.  Alex playing peekaboo.

Practice

Alex got a baby doll for his birthday that has been largely ignored until recently when we pulled it out about a month ago. I've been trying to prepare Alex for his baby cousin "Dill Chip" who is due to arrive in a few weeks.  I have high hopes that since the two of them will be so close in age (less than a year and a half apart) that they will grow up to have a close relationship.  I didn't grow up with any cousins or siblings around and I feel that I really missed out.  Since I don't plan on giving Alex a sibling any time soon, Dill Chip is the next best thing.

So we took out the doll and I've had Alex practice touching the baby softly, kissing it's forehead, giving it hugs... He does really well for a few minutes until his destructive side kicks in, he grabs the doll and starts throwing it to the floor.  Almost like he's trying to bounce it like a ball.  At this rate Alex won't be allowed in the same room as Dill Chip, at least until she can fight back.

More planning for Panama

The last couple of days I've been feeling ridiculously sluggish in the mornings and again about an hour before bedtime.  Sunday I slept in until 10:00 am.  Yesterday, I went to the mall to walk like usual and I didn't have the energy to extract and assemble the jogging stroller from my trunk so I just walked Alex around the mall in the umbrella stroller (which, if I were a little shorter, wouldn't have been so bad.  The hunching over to reach the handles while attempting to keep up a brisk pace hurt my back).  This morning, I just couldn't do it.  Alex woke up at 6:30, I tried to convince him to sleep a while longer in my bed.  No dice.  I took him to the couch and passed out while he watched Teletubbies and Aurthur (yea, I know, great parenting huh?).  Finally I decided it was time to call in reinforcements.  My mother arrived with energy to spare and played with Alex for two hours while I zonked out in my room.  Apparently that's all I needed, a few child free hours alone in bed, because now, I'm feeling just fine.

We've finally got our trip to Panama all setup.  Well, mostly anyway.  Alex and I are still waiting for our passports, but we've booked our flights and as I understand it our hotel will be booked by John's work and we won't be renting a car (I guess the plan is to travel around via taxi).  We had to pay for mine and Alex's flights.  Alex's tickets cost $250 and he doesn't even get a seat!  My tickets were close to $700, but at least I get a seat with that.  I'm totally planning on snagging extra beverages and peanuts on these flights!

I'm concerned about Alex not having a seat for two separate four hour flights.  I mean the kid is WILD.  I'm afraid they'll see him coming and tell me "I'm sorry, wild animals need to be properly crated and stored in the luggage compartment".   If we get to our layover in Atlanta intact, it'll be a miracle.  We'll have a four hour layover and then another four hour flight into Panama.  My plan is to have him run laps around the Atlanta airport so he'll be pooped out for the second flight. 

Today, I went out and bought a kid-leash.  Well, the box said it was a "Safety harness".  It's totally a leash.  I figured there's no way Alex will sit still in his stroller at the airport for four hours and at least having him on a leash will give him a bit more freedom to run around, but still give me the security of knowing he won't run off or get snatched.  Alex LOVES it.  It looks like a backpack in the shape of a puppy, and it's made of this real soft material that causes Alex's thumb to take up permanent residence in his mouth.  The fact that Alex thinks his new leash is the coolest thing since canned green beans makes it easier for me to deal with the Hippie in my head screaming that children aren't animals and shouldn't be put on leashes.

Another thing John and I are fretting about is whether or not to take a car seat.  I've never so much as driven across a parking lot or down the driveway without Alex secured in his car seat (Britney Spears I am not), so the thought of riding around Panama City without him being safely strapped in makes both of us a little uneasy.  But the logistics of installing a car seat into a taxi, uninstalling it, and lugging it around with us while sight seeing seems asinine.  I'm inclined to just take one with us so we'll have it if we need it.  But even that seems like overkill.  We're already going to have no less than three big suitcases, two backpacks, a rolling carry-on and a stroller.  Add a feisty toddler and a bulky car seat and it's most certainly a recipe for chaos.  At least we've still got another two weeks to figure all this out.