Battleship

Small Boy had been pestering me for weeks to buy him the game Battleship. But, importantly, it had to be the travel version at Barnes and Noble. Brand loyal already. I finally gave in and we went to the (brand) book store and bought it. Being ever so frugal, I used our 10% membership card and then I also had a 15% additional off card. So $12.43 later, he had his coveted Battleship in his hot little hands. As we were walking to the car, he ripped the box open before I even looked back to hold his hand to cross the road (bahhhwak) (sorry, couldn't help myself). Imagining hundreds of tiny little pieces of travel size Battleship spilling all over my car and the ensuing catastrophe that would ensue, I had one of those brilliant-mommy moments. Spying "On the Border" across the parking lot, I said in uber-cheerful voice: "Hey! Do you want to go OUT for dinner?". He said, no, that he wanted to play his game. I replied that we would play his game - at the restaurant, we could play before we ordered and while we waited and after we ate, PLUS he'd get a smoothie (virgin daiquiri). That won him over.

We proceeded to the restaurant; I opened all the tiny little bags with tiny little subs, aircraft carriers and pegs (white and red ... remember?). As I searched for anything remotely celiac-friendly to eat, we started playing. And damn it is wasn't the best time I've had in months! The game was just at his level; not too complicated, not too easy. And it carried lots of pleasant childhood memories of playing Battleship with my brother. We played and played, and laughed and laughed ... and it was really cool watching him learn, right before my eyes. He started understanding that if you got a hit in one space, the you should search in the nearby spaces instead of making a random guess. Then I started putting my ships in a pattern (like a T for example) and tell him there was a pattern, and to find it. We giggled and laughed and I genuinely had fun, not just the 'fakey mom sure is having fun!' thing.

Since Small Boy's hearing has been partially restored, he has less comprehension on volume - so he was SHOUTING most of the time (since everything now sounds REALLY LOUD to him, he talks in response REALLY LOUD). But for once, no one gave us a dirty look, not a single person. Every one around us gave us smiles and laughs because he was just so cute and probably because they remembered playing Battleship as a kid or with their kids, or both.

It was a great mom moment. 

Well, the chair is ready but Wheeler's sitter-downer is not. So I've had to torture him all day keeping him rolled on one side or the other. But now I'm worried about creating a pressure sore on one of his sides, so I have very cleverly put a huge stack on pillows under the small of his back, thereby lifting his buns off the bed mostly. So he is laying here next to in this bizarro position, like the hollow of a footbridge. He is such a good sport. Me? I'd be pissin' and moanin' 24/7. But then again, we all know who is the better half in this relationship.