I Hear Ya, Mr. Murphy

Warning/disclaimer! More whiney-whines ahead! Proceed at your own risk...

Things are much better on the croupy kid front. Liam only needed a steamy bathroom twice during the night, and when he was sleeping, he was sleeping sounder than he has in several nights. Perhaps the end of this is in sight. Or maybe I shouldn't even think that, let alone broadcast it. Hhhhmmmmm. In retrospect, I think I jinxed our morning with that thought.

Allow me to tell you a story. A story that exemplifies Murphy's Law...

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Liam. He was sick with the croupy crud, but he felt a bit better, and desperately wanted to play outside.

There was a park near Liam's town that had a small zoo for the children. One could bring fruit and bread and feed deer, ducks, swans, and exotic geese. Liam called it the "Deer Park."

Liam's Mommy knew how much he wanted to go outside that morning, so she asked him if he would like to go to the Deer Park. His face lit up with a beaming smile as he ran to the fridge to get carrots for the deer. He also picked out some bread and apples and the two of them went on their merry way.

Oh, the joy! As they arrived at the park, Liam called out, "Mommy! Baby does see Deer Park! Hey, Deers! Deers! Liam has something for you!" He clambered down from the car yelling for the deer. But then, when he walked to the gate, there were no deer in sight. Oh, how sad Liam felt. His Mommy felt so bad for Liam that she tried to find some other activity that he would enjoy.

Thinking she could resurrect the morning fun in some way, she suggested feeding the ducks. That idea helped Liam feel better, so he fed the ducks for a bit. But then, all of a sudden, came an awful sound. It was the dreaded "HISS" of the Mean Scary Goose. Now, some people call the Mean Scary Goose by another name. They call it a Canada Goose. But since this particular kind of goose is as tall as a small child, and hisses when angry, and will take bread right out of the hands of children, Liam called it the Mean Scary Goose.

Liam shrieked, "Mommy, pick Baby up right now!" His Mommy scooped Liam up and set him on a bench, safely out of the reach of the Mean Scary Goose.

Then, Liam tried to call the deer again, and as he did so, he threw some bread up in the air. Five Scary Seagulls descended onto the bench, crying "Scree! Scree!" They ate all of Liam's bread. Liam was so sad that he lept into his Mommy's arms again. This time he asked to go home.

During the ride home, Liam became hungry. His Mommy was still hoping he would feel happy, so she asked him if he would like to stop for waffles. He yelled, "Go lunch!"

They stopped at a diner for waffles. All was well. There was a friendly family seated next to them who didn't even mind that Liam might share the croupy crud with their children. Mommy ate a hot meal. Liam even ate part of a waffle and some strawberries. It seemed that the day was indeed getting better.

But then, as the waiter refilled Liam's drink, the table tumbled over. Right onto the floor. There were waffles everywhere. And strawberries everywhere. And drinks everywhere. Waiters came running to clean up the great big mess. The waiters fixed the wobbly table leg. They offered to bring more food out to Liam and his Mommy. But by that point, Liam had had more than enough. Once again he lept into his Mommy's arms and asked to go home.

This time, she listened. They came home. Liam fell sound asleep tucked up against his dog, Casey. The two of them took a good long nap. And Liam's Mommy wisely decided not to venture outside again that day, for clearly, the world was still too overwhelming for little Liam.

The moral of the story, dear reader, is this. When Baby's afraid something bad will happen, Mommy should listen to him.