Who's Calling?

Nils has this thing lately with the phone......any phone he can get his hands on. We have been locking the cordless phones in the kitchen cabinet because otherwise he'll be carrying one around the house trying to call people. If someone leaves a cell phone lying somewhere, it will disappear....and so will Nils. He has called several of my friends by accident. He never talks to anyone- just pushes buttons and listens to people.

A few weeks ago I was home with all the kids while Kendall and Diane were in Chicago. We were eating dinner, and I got up to go to the bathroom. The phone rang as soon as I got into the bathroom......oh well. I figured it was Diane, and I could call her right back. I made my way back to the kitchen and started talking to the kids. I walked over to the sink to rinse some dishes- still talking to the kids but not really looking at them. Then I heard a very faint voice......."Melody!"
I turned to look at Nils and saw him standing next to the phone. He had answered it while I was in the bathroom. His parents were trying to talk to him, but, of course, he wasn't talking to them- he had put the phone down on the table and was watching the seconds tick by on the screen. He really loves to watch numbers.
I ran and grabbed the phone. Kendall said they were having a lovely one way conversation with Nils. Some day we are going to get him to talk on the phone. Right now, he just laughs!

The boy is very good at laughing. I was watching t.v. one night last week when my phone rang. I saw that it was Diane and answered it -it wasn't really Diane. I said hello several times and then started calling his name. Laughing.......more laughing......finally I heard Diane's voice in the background, " Nils, how did you get my phone? Are you calling Mel?"

And then there was the phone episode this week: The Mystery of the Caller ID. I was preparing dinner for Nils and Marta while Annika was at gymnastics. The phone rang, and I went to check to see if I recognized the number. If Kendall or Diane or someone I know is calling, I'll answer. Otherwise I'll just let it go to the machine. I looked at the number- 979....... yes, I recognize that number. I can answer that ..... My mind was racing to figure out who's number it was as I reached for the receiver. Wait......that's MY number!
I turned and looked across the dining room to see Nils standing next to my cell phone, excitedly watching the seconds tick by. He didn't even realize that he was calling his own house. I picked up the phone and loudly said hello. He looked at me and smiled. Then the chase began. I retrieved my phone, found my purse in the t.v. room and proceeded to hide them both in the closet. And what was Nils doing? Laughing.