Daddy Days

By SEDONA DING

Mommy has been working a lot. She tells me it's a good thing, but I apparently lack the long-term and/or financial outlook required to see the virtue in it for as often as I ask Daddy in plain wonderment, "Where's Mommy?" Anyway, Daddy has really stepped up in the child-care department to the point that I was telling Mommy tonight when she was asking about missing her that I loved Daddy. (Manipulative mind games at age 2? Maybe!)

But it's good for us to spend quality time with Daddy. He's going to be gone so much in February and March at the airport and on the airplane, which is how I understand it to work when he goes away: He's continuously either at the airport or on the airplane ... and then he comes home.

The three of us took a Friday walk around the block -- well, Daddy was the only one walking; I rode in my little toy car and Maven rode on Daddy -- and had a grand time chasing a kitty-cat, a squirrel and a flock of pigeons while we were out. We also studied a bee and a fly. I also said I saw a spider and added: "I don't like spiders" ... and when Daddy couldn't find it, I admitted that I never saw it. We came home and then drew on the driveway with chalk.

Today it was raining, believe it or not, so we stayed inside and chilled except for a McDonald's run for a Mushroom and Swiss Angus Burger. I don't love eating meat, but I do really like hamburgers and will probably even learn to pronounce it differently than "hambelligeller" one of these days.

Daddy actually works extensively with me on my pronunciation, getting me to repeat things syllable by syllable. Sometimes I get it right on the first try and we do a bunch of high-fives, an area where Daddy stays on the cutting edge based on what basketball players are doing. (Our latest one is the backs of the hands together, then flying up in the air like birdies!) Sometimes I argue with Daddy for fun when he corrects me: I'll pronounce that red fuzzy guy's name as "Nelmo," and he'll say, "No, it's Elmo; bite your tongue a little to say it," and I'll say, "No, it's Nelmo!" But today I found myself correcting our housekeeper Aminda, who was saying Elmo's name a little funny. I told her: "No, no ... it's Elmo. Bite your tongue a little. Let me show you."

Here I am in my toy basket, which is usually filled up with stuffed animals. Why are there no stuffed animals in there now? Because Daddy and I had a fun war in which I sat on the top bunk of our bunk bed and tried to throw all the stuffed animals down to the floor before he could fetch them and throw them back up. Daddy claimed he won by getting all the stuffed animals up on the top bunk at one point. He threw his arms up in the air, sat in the rocking chair and gloated to Maven, who seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. But given that I announce after the fact, "I win!" even when I come in way behind in a footrace, I'll just say now after the fact ... "I win!"

I might look like I'm getting a little tired here, but I promise you it's just the shadow effect that Daddy created with the camera. He and Mommy can further affirm it by telling you the story of how many times Daddy had to take me back to my bed tonight because I kept getting up and saying that I wasn't sleepy or I wanted to wash my hands or I wanted the door open. Eventually, he broke my spirit and I dozed off. Next time I'll just throw some stuffed animals at him!