Week 20 Day 1: Half assed

I got an astounding amount not done today. I made a to-do list last night and by the end of the day today I have only crossed one and a half things off of it. And the half doesn't even really count. As if I need to say that. (The "it" in question involves haggling with my cell phone company over getting a new phone since mine is broken. I was on the phone with them for at least an hour today.) Not that I did it "half assed," as my dad is fond of saying. It's just not done yet. And anyway, I don't know what "half assed" even means. I suppose I would have to start with figuring out what "whole assed" meant and go from there. I'm not sure that I want to go there, however. I imagine Googling such a thing would make for some pretty incriminating browser history.

Speaking of asses, I bought diapers today! (Also: great segue!) So at least one ass is covered in this house.

Gavin is such a happy kid when we're out and about. Lots of people smile at him (especially old people. Old people love to smile at babies. Fact) and he smiles right back with that wide, toothy grin of his. The cashier at Rite Aid said he made her day today, and while I am not convinced that this is true (it was pretty early in the day to make such a call) I do think that Gavin does bring joy to people even if just for a toothy few seconds. Hell, I know I love it when babies smile at me. There's something very validating about it. Something that affirms you are not rotten at your core.

In addition to Rite Aid, I also dragged Gavin to Meijer today. And yes, I know that Meijer isn't exactly a gay-friendly corporation, but I wanted to get some mulch because it was on sale. Unfortunately having Gavin with me made that problematic at best. You can't really throw ten or more bags of mulch in a shopping cart but you also can't strap a baby into one of those platform hand trucks they've got out in the garden area, nor would I be able to push both at the same time. Since I had some other shopping to do inside, I asked the woman at the outdoor garden cash register if it would be possible for me to purchase the bags of mulch inside and then come back out and have someone help me load them into my van. This was, in fact, possible, the woman told me. Unfortunately she also told me, "But I'm the only one out here so once you come back it could be (pause, sweep of the hand to cover the expansive outdoor department) awhile." Needless to say, she did not seem very thrilled by the prospect of helping me. And while that's not exactly great customer service, I can't blame her. Why Meijer has only one person working outside in their enormous outdoor garden department is beyond me. What's to stop someone from putting a bag of top soil down the front of their pants and walking out of there? I mean, yeah, they'd have to be really big pants (and it would probably help of they had cinched ankles, so sweat pants are your best bet), but still.

Gavin's going to be 10 months old in three days. I can hardly believe it. My best friend's son is turning one at the beginning of June and he's only six weeks older than Gavin. Really they're the same age, or at least they will be once they start counting their ages in years rather than weeks or months. But six weeks is a big difference at this age. Her son is already walking and says "mama" and "dog" (even though they do not have a dog). We got the invitation to his birthday party in the mail today. Unfortunately he and his mom live in California, so we won't be making it to the party. We do plan to visit at some point this summer, however. Any tips for traveling with a one-year-old (which is about how old Gavin will be by the time we go) are welcome.