I had a brief visit from Aiden this morning. He likes to ride in the car, and he often accompanies his mom or his dad on errands or shopping trips. Since one or the other or both of them are almost always going somewhere, he gets to go riding quite a lot. (Sometimes even when nobody has to go anywhere, Aiden still gets to go for a ride, especially if he’s really tired but fighting sleep.)

He didn’t get out of the car this time, but that’s not really his option. It’s up to the Big Hands people, who have to unbuckle him from his car seat and lift him out, and then perform the reverse of those operations when it’s time to go. This was a quick trip. Apparently I have the only functional Christmas tree stand in the family, and since I won’t be getting a live tree this year, I didn’t need it. Tammy and Aiden had gone shopping last night for their tree, which didn’t sit well in the old metal stand they tried to use. I’m sure my stand was a better fit.

So I got a little face time with the superstar, which is always good for my spirits. Tammy phoned before I was even fully awake (or fully dressed), so the visit had the added advantage of moving me out of my football chair, where I otherwise might have spent about seven straight hours. (Not really, but that’s always an outside possibility on a Sunday with nothing going on. And unlike Some People, I don’t crave the shopping experience enough to brave the weekend crowds.)

Aiden didn’t have much to say today, which is unlike him. I think he’s not feeling quite up to par. He just passed the eighteen month mark, and in all that time he’s had very few days when he didn’t light up whatever room he was in, including the back seat of a minivan. His baby sister will be three months old this week, and she’s just getting over a bout with the dreaded thrush. With that many small children in one household, a day when everyone is healthy isn’t as easy to come by as a day when everyone is cheerful.