I learned some things about cell phones today.

If your cell phone spontaneously goes into "car kit" mode, you are in trouble. Car kit mode seems to mean that your phone will only communicate through a non-existent (in our case) car kit. I could see that it was ringing (caller ID came up and the backlight came on) but could not hear a ring, nor could I speak to the person calling when I tried to answer it, because alas, I am not a car kit. Our home phone has been out for about a week now due to Vonage router issues, so I was left without an important communication device for most of today. A little Googling on the part of my husband (after a frantic email from me to every one of his many email addresses begging him for ideas) revealed that this happens when LG phones have suffered water damage. This could be caused by baby slobber, if say, your baby has been permitted to play with the phone to keep him from whining in Target.

David's Googling found that the problem could very well be fatal, but we could try the following before giving up:

• Completely remove the battery cover and battery and dry everything thorougly.
• Take a toothbrush (new, if possible, or just very dry) and clean out the little port where you plug the charger.
• Try to "short circuit" the phone and trick it into working by sticking some aluminum foil or a kitchen knife into the same port and wiggling it around.
• Plug in the phone and wiggle the cord in the port a bit.
• Try to make a call with the phone plugged in.

I tried all of the above. It improved significantly. The "car kit" notice went away, and I was able to place calls! I was not, however, able to be heard. David thought that the microphone was likely still wet, and maybe some hairdryer time would help. I tried, to no avail.

We pretty much gave up and left our email conversation with plans to get me a new phone tonight. Then someone on my message board suggested taking all the phone parts apart again and burying them all separately in a bowl of rice to see if they would dry out any further. Figuring it couldn't hurt, I buried the phone in rice for the rest of the day.

David returned from work and mocked me for my rice-drying efforts, removed the phone from its starchy bed, and re-assembled it. Lo and behold! It's alive! It works!

Note to self: tempting though it may be, try *not* to let the baby play with the phone. Rice might not work twice.

And now, not wanting to eat the rice that the slobbered-upon phone spent the day in, I have decided to make a rice sock. Our doula said that one might be nice to have in labor, so it was on my project list anyway. Now's as good a time as any...