Techonology is quite amazing. I remember so clearly holding Alex in my arms when he was only a few months old. It's the middle of the night, dh sound asleep, I want to go to sleep so bad but I look down at Alex, hoping so badly that he is falling asleep. Instead he is looking up at me so completely wide awake. More wide awake then ever! What do I do then? It's the middle of the night. He's way too little to try to go the route of laying him down to have him learn to put himself to sleep. I must hold him. Snuggle him. Enjoy him, all the while trying to figure out this thing called the internet. LOL! Patti, is that foreshadowing or what?!
My dh and I had just made a major purchase, our first desktop computer. It was a Packard Bell with less then a gig of hard drive. It was 800 whatever that is less then a gig. LOL! I remember the conversation with my dad and what I needed to get (he is very much a techy!). I remember dh and my little spat as I put it together. I read the instructions and try to understand what is going on. He wants it just to be together and to work automatically. I remember not fully understanding the internet and expecting everything to be so fast and automatic - like dh's expectations a bit. I remember so clearly our AOL dial-up account. I remember the sound it made as it connected. I can even do an imitation of it if you wanted. LOL! Really how odd is that?! I remember so clearly that evening, holding Alex in my arms, in our little 10x10 4th bedroom upstairs that we had turned into our study/guest room. I sat there and decided now was as good as time as any to try to figure this thing out. I moved around the AOL interface expecting to see the world. But, instead, everything WAS SOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWW. It was SO FRUSTRATING. My expectations were for 2007 and this was 1993. I remember trying to downloading something and got the dreaded box that told me how long it would take to download via dial-up, 1993 dial-up that is. I remmeber my eyes glazed, holding Alex, and trying to read the numbers in the box. I was doing middle of the night calculations, could that really be 8 hours to download this? That can't be right. I must not be seeing things clearly. 8 hours? But what do I do now? Uggghhhh!!!!
Fast forward to today. I was giggling to myself a moment ago because my dh and I are having a conversation via email. He is responding from his blackberry and I from my computer. It's a real back and forth type of conversation, one of many we have every single day. It's a part of who we are and how we live our lives. We are currently having a conversation about our deck and patio. I laugh because I will respond to him and go into the other room, do a load of laundry, work in the kitchen, watch a tv show and/or make an eat dinner. Throughout that entire time I will at some point wonder if he responded to my last response. I will run in and check real quick. If he has I will read and respond. This could go on and on throughout the evening. Quite a contrast to 1993. What is it really going to be like when my boys have babies and then yikes when their babies are 13? Seriously, will it be like the Jetsons?
To make this topic even more important, that little tiny baby I held in my arms has been away at camp for 3 weeks. I get to travel to see him tomorrow and bring him home Saturday morning. I cannot express how excited I am to do this! I CANNOT wait to get him. I miss him so much. Yes, I will be crying for the next 2-3 days out of sheer happiness I have him back. He's taller then I am (by 1/4th of an inch), but don't think I can't snuggle with him anymore. I have already told the entire family that I am sitting in the back seat with him the whole way home. I am taking my pillow and will allow him to sleep but I get to hold onto him the whole way home. He will be sleeping because tomorrow night they have a lock-in where they stay up all night. I don't care - he will be in my car with me. He will be my baby once again in my arms. Do you think we can hook up the internet in the car? Oh yeah! I've got my blackberry!!! Too bad it's so slow.
P.S. Packard Bell pictured is for reference only. This is not our old Packard Bell.
Do you remember on the Jetsons how they would talk to each other on video phone. Well, it's amazing, but we have those now basically via computer and/or phone. My head reels at all the technology stuff. So glad you handle all of that for us at work! WELCOME HOME, ALEX-glad to have you back home, buddy!