Let the countdown continue – I am finally ready!

I had taken my early morning gym class as usual and was out on the trails for my early morning run when the text came through:

A drive home later, and I could make sense of Declan’s pain.

“I like to make those videos on Tik Tok about which video game characters can come to my birthday, and I am SAD because they are trying to ban Tik Tok!”

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHhhhhh.  Okay. 

In short, someone has a birthday coming up.  Declan is beyond excited about his big day.

EVERY MORNING Declan starts the day with a countdown.  “Today is July 8^th.  Tomorrow is July 9^th.  Then it is July 10^th.  Then July 11^th.  And then it will be July 12^th.  And then, and then, and then…and then guess what day it is?!?  MY BIRTHDAY!”

So that you know, he has been doing this since July 1^st.  I’ve realized July is a long month. 

Before he started the countdown, he started on his birthday present.  This year, there was only one thing on his mind.

Nintendo Switch.

“If it is pink, blue, gray, or yellow, that is the Switch Lite.  I do NOT want a Switch Lite.  I want a Nintendo Switch.  They are gray or black with different colored handles, like red or blue.”

We went to look at them.  The differences pointed out to meticulous detail.  I assured Declan I understood what he wanted, and I told him:

“There is no way I can mess up.  They are different prices.  I know to get the more expensive one.  If I pay $200, then I got the wrong one.  I am paying $300.  I understand.”

Do we usually ever buy a child a $300 birthday present?  No!  That is a lot of money!  But the request for this console came in January, and we shook our heads. 

“A gift that big is either a Christmas or Birthday gift.”

And here we are.  Having that much time to prepare, we had that much time to budget.

Or, so we thought. 

A few weeks ago, we were going through the differences in the Switches while looking at them in the display case.  One week ago, at our local store, I noticed something dreadful.  The locked Switch display box was…*gasp* empty!

The next day, I went online to make the big purchase.  But, wait a second – why were they all $500 – USED?

There were a lot of deep breaths.  I did an internet search for their availability in our area.  Twenty minutes later, I was at a different store making a desperate call:

“Bob?  They are sold out here, too!  Something must be up.  Is the Switch on its way out?”

“I don’t know.  But I do know we need to find one and fast.”

When I pulled into the driveway after my failed purchase attempt, I saw that Bob was unable to cap his anxiety and spilled the beans to big D.

(Side note: Declan does voice to text.  Are there that many people that have written they were “souled out” that autocorrect thinks THAT is what someone is trying to say?)

An hour of internet scrounging and I found one about an hour and a half away.  As the store prepared our purchase for curbside pickup, we breathed a sigh of relief. 

Until a half an hour later when another gut-wrenching email was received.

“What do you think it means?” Bob asked as we sat sagged, staring at a computer screen.

I squinted my eyes at him, looked back to the screen, and pointed.

“I think it means they don’t actually have one.  We have to keep looking.”

And so, we did until we landed on eBay and found the most reasonable, priced at $410.

Ouch.

It appears to this clueless girl that SOMEONE knew SOMETHING and purchased them all and then tried to capitalize.  I wasn’t sure if I could give positive feedback to the seller knowing he was the SOMEONE who knew SOMETHING as he had seven more to sell.

When the package finally arrived, my feelings towards the seller changed ever so slightly. 

Declan is calmer, knowing we were able to acquire a Switch from eBay.  But unlike his daily checks of my Amazon account, he does not know how to navigate my eBay account.  I am frequently encouraged to check my eBay account to see where the package is.

But I know where the package is.  It is safely stored at the top of our closet.  When the package arrived, Declan circled it, feeling something was off with it, but couldn’t figure out what. 

Mr. eBay was kind enough to ship Declan’s present in an Amazon box, allowing for Declan’s big present to stay hidden from his very watchful eye.

Tomorrow, the July countdown will continue.  The excitement will continue to build.  And even though it came at a much higher cost, I finally have THE birthday present safely hidden away, waiting for the big day.

Whew!