Month: February 2011

is it just me or…

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

was our waitress Saturday an idiot? Here’s what happened.

The menu item that I settled on was a salad that came with some kind of herb vinaigrette.  That did not sound delicious to me, so when I ordered I said something like this:

“I’ll have the [blah blah whatever it was called] salad, except can I get the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette?  On the side, in case I don’t like it?” 

She seemed to have no trouble understanding my question, therefore I thought she understood my request.  She bobbled off like the airhead that she (apparently) is and a few minutes later our salads come out.

My reaction:

“Oooh, this looks goo-”
–pause–
“What.the.hell?”

I toss my salad around with my fork and observe that it is soaking wet, covered in dressing.  Covered in something that is clearly not the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, which she did bring on the side.  The waitress bobbles by again so I grab her attention and ask:

“Um? I’m confused.  Does this already have dressing on it?”

“Yeah…the herb vinaigrette comes on it.  And I brought the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette on the side.”

I sat there, dumbfounded, with a wrinkled brow just long enough for her to bounce away.  What planet must you live on to assume that when I order a different dressing from what is on the menu, I want it in addition to the one that is mentioned in the description?  How much salad dressing can one person use?

Clearly, she knew that she missed the mark because she trotted past our table about 50 times without ever checking to see if we liked our food or needed anything.  Meanwhile, I overheard her asking all of the tables surrounding us if their food was okay.  Honestly, I wanted to blow up.  Not over the dressing mistake so much as her reaction to the situation.  Finally, while I was on the phone for 30 seconds with my mom, she came back and asked husband if he wanted a refill on his drink.  She didn’t bother to make eye contact with me.

If I hadn’t been in such a hurry to get to my in-laws and see Peezy after our baby-free early Valentine/Friday night/Saturday morning date, I would have definitely complained and waited for them to re-make it.  But I didn’t.  The herb vinaigrette dressing actually wasn’t bad.  If I’d hated it, I certainly would have said something.  It was just the principle of the matter and her response to it that pissed me off. 

Am I crazy here, people?  Based on what I ordered, is there any reason to believe that I still wanted the herb vinaigrette?

As a side note, Happy Valentine’s Day!

love, love, love,
~C~

in a month

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

In a month, my little bitty newborn baby will be a year old.  I feel like he’s still just brand new.  Of course we have learned a lot, thanks to the advice and help of friends and family along with trial and error.  I marvel every day at how much he has changed from that little lump of sweetness we brought home from the hospital into this smart, brave, inquisitive little boy.  He has so much personality already, and he hasn’t even started talking yet.  Well, he thinks he’s talking but we haven’t figured out what he’s saying. 

I’ve gotten him to mimic me a few times, saying “mom,” only he shapes his little mouth in an “o” and it comes out more like “mohm.”  He’s also saying “moo” when we show him a little cow that makes the same sound.  I love every second of it.

But at the same time, I hate it.  It’s bittersweet.  I miss him being that tiny little lump that I could hold in my arms for hours and hours.  Now I know that you can’t spoil a baby.  I’m glad I didn’t listen to people that said you can hold a baby too much.  I held him as much as I could and I have no regrets.  He’s confident and secure (so far) and has never demonstrated separation anxiety.  He can put himself to sleep and play happily in his bed when he wakes up.

I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been over the past year.  He’s been such a good, easy baby.  I remember taking him to the mall when he was about 6 or 7 weeks old and I was in the elevator with him and an elderly man who asked how old he was.  When I told him, he grimaced and said that he had 6 children and would never go back to that age.  He must have had a bunch of lemons, because I think I’ve had more fun during the past 11 months than I have at any other time in my life.  Every day with Theo is something new. 

In (less than) a month, we will have a little party.  He won’t have a clue why everyone is gathering around to stare at him (okay, that’s actually pretty typical with our families) or cheering when he digs into his cake (hopefully).  It’s a celebration for all of us.  We’ve nearly made it through the first year of milestones.  We’ve gone from rookies to parents with a little bit of experience.  We’ve gone from two to three…from a couple to a family. 

I can’t wait to see what all the next year has in store for us.

~C~