You’d think the small person who gurgles and cries and poops would have driven the point home but it took an incident yesterday to really cement the fact that, yes, I’m now a parent.

Larry went to Safeway yesterday, July 19, to get fixin’s for dinner. (The date is important.)

I get a call from him which is not unusual when he makes a store trek. The topic is generally a discussion of what else we may need from the store or if there’s anything special I might want (like ice cream or other craving type things). “Ask me what I’m holding,” is his greeting. My interest is immediately piqued but I don’t think too much of it. We have a friend who works at the store so perhaps it’s a present from him (stranger things have happened — the great folks who work at the Post Office we frequent and have been asking Larry when he was going to get me pregnant and have been quite excited about the pregnancy gave Walker a present of a full sheet of Star Wars stamps when he was born). “When is Harry Potter supposed to come out?” he asks. “Because I’m holding one of the books in my hand.” I’m stunned and respond, “Um, Saturday, I think.”

“Well, there are three of them. Should I get one for you?”

I hear a woman in the background. Apparently she’s reading the last chapter to her husband over the phone. Another woman comes up and takes the third and last book. Everyone discusses how insane it is that a Safeway in the heart of the Sunset has a few of the coveted books just sitting out with all the trashy books they have as if it’s the most common thing in the world.

Now, I pre-purchased my discounted copy of the new Harry Potter book on Amazon months and months ago. The book at Safeway was being sold at full price. In a few moments I calculated the price difference in my head, thought about the logistics of returning the book to Amazon, and how much time I had to read it.

“No. That’s OK. I’ll wait until Saturday.”

I couldn’t believe those words crossed my lips. I am clearly a parent. The only thing keeping me from getting the book and reading every hour of every day until I’m finished is the small little human who looks at me with those big blue eyes and smiles (OK, so he’s not smiling at me but rather, passing gas, but who is really keeping track?)

I have a few updates…

Walker has reached another milestone… He’s been to Costco already and not just once but TWICE this week.

Also, Larry read the previous blog post and said that if we’re competing on the Internet, well, he wins with his high Google factor of over 32,000 (“larry young” + “comics”) as opposed to my paltry Google factor of 700. There’s just no competition. Walker is getting started early with 30+ so I expect he’ll surpass his parents soon.