Friday, January 30, 2009

Beeps and bells and whistles and annoying songs

Tomorrow Hal and I are going to the first birthday party of one of my classmates' daughters.

Tonight, we headed out to Target to look for Arin's birthday present. We were so clueless. I called my mother to ask what you get a 1 year old. She laughed and told us to look in the education baby aisle and find something.

So we did. The first thing we found was this cube-shaped thing that was about 8 kinds of awesome. It had wires with beads on it. It had cut out shapes and blocks to put in the shapes. It had numbers and a phone and a piano and a clock. It was sweet. So we picked it up.

It started blinking and playing a song.

Oh, that's cute! we thought, as we looked down the rest of the aisle.

I turned.

It started blinking and played the same song.

Interactive! How great for a one year old.

I leaned over to look at another toy.

It started blinking and played the same song.

What am I doing to make this blink?!

I turned to Hal.

It started blinking and playing the same song.

"Why does this keep making noise?!" I asked him.

He pulled on one of the wires that held the bead things.

It started blinking and playing the same song.

"That must be it!" he announced triumphantly. "You have to pull the wire thing."

I handed the cube to him.

It started blinking and played the same song.

"I didn't touch the wire!" I told him.

"You must have touched the wire," he responded. To illustrate, he pulled on the wire.

Nothing.

"Wait -- what?" he asked the cube. He brought it eye-level, peering at the words on the wrapping.

It started blinking and played the same song.

Hal, frustrated, went and put the cube down on the shelf. I followed. "But it's interactive! It's got shapes and letters and numbers!"

"It keeps playing the same song!" he replied.

"We need a Mom," I whined, looking around for an expert on this baby thing.

I leaned over and scooted the cube.

Nothing.

"It's off," said Hal.

"Is it?" I asked. I tried to push a number button.

Nothing.

I grabbed the sides and started to lift.

It blinked and started playing the same song.

We looked at each other.

We bought a different present.

One that doesn't blink or play songs.

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