Friday - Small Talk
Feb. 3rd, 2006 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninanevermoreToday on my drive into work, I was thinking about my husband and how I don't always recognize him anymore now that we have a child together.
Jeff has been gone all week on company business, but he has called home every night to check up on my son and me. He called Wednesday night a little after 8 P.M., which is when my son goes to bed.
"I tried to call earlier, but the phone was busy," he said. We don't have call waiting. Jeff won't pay for it on principal. He is of the opinion that if any really wants to talk to us, they will call back if they get a busy signal. I have had friends tell me that they got a busy signal when they tried to call me, but that they almost didn't recognize it because it has been so long since they have heard one. They actually had to stop and think about what the sound meant.
"I think your son was playing with the phone again. He likes to push the buttons. Sorry 'bout that." Aside from one long distance call that he managed to make by pushing redial, so far our son's fascination with the phone has been harmless.
"That's okay," Jeff said. "Can I talk to him?"
Two years ago, if you had tried to put my husband on the phone to talk to a baby, say a friend's child or a niece or a nephew, he would have rolled his eyes. Our son, at 16 months old, does not "talk" on the phone. He listens, then turns his head to look at the phone and grin at it. If you're lucky, he will chortle. If you're unlucky, he will start pushing those wonderful buttons that light up and go “beeeep!” in your ear and then maybe hang up on you.
"I just put him to bed. Want me to get him up? I don't think he's asleep yet."
"No, don't bother him," Jeff said, sounding dejected, "I'll talk to him tomorrow. I thought I might catch him before you put him down."
"I'm sorry, baby, anything in particular you wanted to discuss with him?"
It turns out he just wanted to say "hi," and hoped to hear a chortle.
Last night Jeff called earlier and they did share a brief father and son conversation, though I'm not sure what it was about. I had to end it when my son started pushing the buttons, which are just too tempting for him to resist. His father, who is generally sensitive to loud tones like that, did not mind.
"There, you got to talk to him. Are you happy now?" I asked him when I took the phone back.
"Extremely," he said.
"Do you miss us?" I asked.
"Lots," he said, "Lots and lots."
"Good," I said, "Then come home. We miss you, too."
"Soon," he said, "Just one more day. Give him a kiss for me."
So I did.
Jeff has been gone all week on company business, but he has called home every night to check up on my son and me. He called Wednesday night a little after 8 P.M., which is when my son goes to bed.
"I tried to call earlier, but the phone was busy," he said. We don't have call waiting. Jeff won't pay for it on principal. He is of the opinion that if any really wants to talk to us, they will call back if they get a busy signal. I have had friends tell me that they got a busy signal when they tried to call me, but that they almost didn't recognize it because it has been so long since they have heard one. They actually had to stop and think about what the sound meant.
"I think your son was playing with the phone again. He likes to push the buttons. Sorry 'bout that." Aside from one long distance call that he managed to make by pushing redial, so far our son's fascination with the phone has been harmless.
"That's okay," Jeff said. "Can I talk to him?"
Two years ago, if you had tried to put my husband on the phone to talk to a baby, say a friend's child or a niece or a nephew, he would have rolled his eyes. Our son, at 16 months old, does not "talk" on the phone. He listens, then turns his head to look at the phone and grin at it. If you're lucky, he will chortle. If you're unlucky, he will start pushing those wonderful buttons that light up and go “beeeep!” in your ear and then maybe hang up on you.
"I just put him to bed. Want me to get him up? I don't think he's asleep yet."
"No, don't bother him," Jeff said, sounding dejected, "I'll talk to him tomorrow. I thought I might catch him before you put him down."
"I'm sorry, baby, anything in particular you wanted to discuss with him?"
It turns out he just wanted to say "hi," and hoped to hear a chortle.
Last night Jeff called earlier and they did share a brief father and son conversation, though I'm not sure what it was about. I had to end it when my son started pushing the buttons, which are just too tempting for him to resist. His father, who is generally sensitive to loud tones like that, did not mind.
"There, you got to talk to him. Are you happy now?" I asked him when I took the phone back.
"Extremely," he said.
"Do you miss us?" I asked.
"Lots," he said, "Lots and lots."
"Good," I said, "Then come home. We miss you, too."
"Soon," he said, "Just one more day. Give him a kiss for me."
So I did.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 04:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 07:00 pm (UTC)That totally begs for a comment about "licks"... but I'm gonna stop right there ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 07:23 pm (UTC)