The Green Button

The first time I ever saw Celie imitating me was at about eight months old. She picked up my cell phone, tilted her head side to side, and started babbling "La-la-la-la-la-la-la!" This is when I knew I was being watched, closely!

Now, almost two, her interest in the phone continues, though her skills are by now much more sophisticated. She opens the case, scrolls through the screen savers, and plays the tune of various numbers pressed. One time, while fumbling with the buttons, she even called Allison Carl-White, a colleague of mine who also happened to be responsible for reviewing my dossier for promotion. This is when I learned to add "AAA" to my list of contacts, an invented number used just in case she finds her way to my address book and presses that green button again...three times, connect!