Where did the week go? (And where did Daddy go?)

Chris went to Germany last week (bye Daddy!)

and left Max and I to our own devices. Not the best of ideas:

but somehow we did manage to make it through the week. It was quite an eventful one, though. Early in the week, we had a severe thunderstorm in the middle of the night. There was hail! Wind! Lightning! Thunder! AND TORNADO WATCHES! I sat in terrified horror right outside of Max's bedroom while peering through the stair rails to The Weather Channel on the TV downstairs. I didn't want to wake Max up, but I wanted to be close by and ready in case I needed to grab him in the event of a tornado...and then? Well...I guess we would have huddled in the downstairs bathroom with Bailey, where I would have attempted to wrap one arm around Max, one arm around the toilet (because I've heard that's what you're supposed to do to keep from flying away when your roof gets ripped off), and I would have tried to sit on Bailey I guess. It wasn't a well-thought-out plan, but it was all I had. Luckily, the storms passed with no tornado, and Max slept GREAT that night. (He sleeps great during storms. It's during the perfectly peaceful and tranquil nights that he has issues.)

Speaking of sleeping, we jumped a huge hurdle this week. I finally got Max to take some naps in his crib. Up until now, every nap has occurred in his swing. (BEST $25 purchase ever made, by the way!) I don't really have a problem with that, but he's going to reach the weight limit at some point, and then I would be up a creek. So, I finally bit the bullet, and it didn't go half bad. Exhibit A (or should I say exhibit Zzz?):

The thing we'll have to continue to work on is helping him learn to put himself to sleep in his crib for naps without shrieking. I guess it's easier for him when he's lulled to sleep with his swing. Exhibit B (or should I say exhibit ahhhhhhhhhhhhh?):

Ah well, baby steps (literally).

Later on in the week, Sam hung out with us for a little bit. He regaled us with MANY stories, and with his barefoot bicycling skills.

"Max, this toy is cool, but it would be MUCH cooler if there was a car on top."


Sam also gave us a jigsaw puzzle demonstration. Max tried to eat the pieces.


So then on Friday as Max and I were finishing our breakfast we heard a super loud siren, which caused Bailey to start barking like crazy and Max to start crying. Next thing you know, an ambulance roars past my house with sirens blaring and lights flashing. A couple minutes later, a firetruck followed. Just a couple minutes after that (before I could even get Max cleaned up and out of his high chair in order to go look out the window to determine where the ambulance and fire truck went), the ambulance went roaring back off in the opposite direction. Hmm, strange. Oddly enough, though, I forgot about it and went about my day.

About an hour later, Max, Bailey and I left the house to go for a walk. That's when I noticed the Sheriff's patrol car parked in front of the house next door. Odd, but I actually didn't make the connection to the ambulance. Upon returning from our walk, however, we found that things had taken a turn for the bizarre. Now, in addition to the Sheriff's car there was a Crime Scene Unit/Forensics truck parked on the street in front of the neighbor's house as well. Ok, slightly more disturbing. Was the neighbor murdered? What the heck? Why do these weirdo things always happen when Chris is out of town?

After much window-spying, I finally witnessed the crime scene guy exit the premises while removing his latex gloves and carrying a large bag of what I determined (with my CSI degree) to be EVIDENCE. I felt certain that Mr. Next Door Neighbor had been killed. By a stranger who was prowling the neighborhood at night and was probably targeting me. Much hand wringing and freaking out ensued.

And then I saw the neighbor sitting out in the back yard....surrounded by lots of folks I'd never seen next door. And looking happy and relaxed. What the heck? This mystery is driving me insane. I can't very well go next door and ask the neighbor (a virtual stranger) "Hey, why was the Crime Scene Unit hanging out at your house all day?" Chris has been tasked with asking his coworker, who lives on the other side of our neighbor, if he has any intel tomorrow at work. We'll see what he can find out. (I did entertain the idea of calling the Sheriff's office and inquiring about what happened; as a woman staying alone with a small child in the house next door to a place where the Crime Scene Unit spent an entire morning, wouldn't I be eligible to receive this information? I think so, but in the end didn't want to be a psycho).

So the week ended peacefully with some beautiful weather and play time outside (and no more potential murder investigations or storms that asserted Nature's fury):








And Chris got home on Sunday. And brought chocolate. And we were happy. The end.