Beware: Random Wal-Mart Cheek Pincher on the Loose

Cale was in one of the best moods tonight. Which was surprising because he got 4 shots today at his one year appointments, was functioning on an hours worth of sleep all day, had been shuttled to Hector and back (anything past 15 minutes is too long in the car), and ended that kind of day in a high chair at a restaurant. I know what you're thinking, this could and should have been a recipe for disaster...it was almost positively a bad idea. But, somehow the thought of onion soup, Hibachi fried rice, stir fry veggies, and chicken gave us the courage we needed to soldier on through the potential baby-storm. Plus, we decided that we can't let Cale control our whole lives. Ha, I couldn't even say that with a straight face.

Surprisingly, Cale had so much fun simply squealing (he's got good pipes), spilling food, dropping spoons, and people watching. We actually made it through the entire meal without one single fuss! The doctor who put Cale's tubes in was even sitting next to us. Come to think of it, maybe that's why Cale was so charming. Guess he thought he'd better straighten up and fool the doc into thinking he was a hundred percent better. Guess he didn't want to go through that again. And when I say that, I think the worst part to Cale was not having any food or drink after midnight. (Our boy likes to eat) But, in all seriousness, it took a few weeks, but Cale does seem to be doing better since his tubes. He's been so happy and playful this week and has been sleeping fairly well most nights.

After we ate dinner we braved the cold and went to Wal-Mart, because that's what all married couples do on a Friday night, right? For the first time, I let Cale down to "explore". You would have thought he was at Disney World the way he laughed and smiled and went from one thing to another, stopping only long enough to touch everything in reach. We let him play in the toy section for awhile. He was in Heaven.

At one point, Carl went to look at something in the electronic section. I try to stay out of that section because things like "1080p, contrast resolution, or pixel definition" don't mean a lot to me. So, Cale and I stayed in the toy section to play. Suddenly this woman was standing right beside us. Very close. Like, in our personal space close. It startled me, because it seemed like...poof, she was there. Then, she reached down (I watched, horrifed she was picking Cale up, and trying to figure out how I would react) and pinched both of Cale's cheeks. This wasn't just like a quick pinch. She held on for several seconds. I'll tell you the truth, I sort of froze. I was thinking, "Okay, I'm a mom now. I'm suppossed to be in charge. I'm suppossed to keep Cale safe...what should I do?" Then, the strange woman let go of Cale's cheeks, but then proceeded to tap the end of his nose several times (which is funny because after the fact, I realized he had a large, crusty booger on the end of his nose) After the random nose tapping, she ended with the grand finale...pinching his poor little rosy cheeks again. By this point, I was pretty sure she didn't speak English (because "bye" seemed like a stretch for her.) I was also pretty sure her elevator didn't go all the way to the top, if you know what I mean. So, Cale and I kept playing...but I kept my eye out for her.

This is your warning. Maybe you can react faster than I did and save your child from the deadly grips of The Wal-Mart Cheek Pincher.

Wal-Mart is never boring.