Daddy Day!

Blair called me at work this morning to say she was deathly ill (cramps, vomiting, leeches) and ordered me home right away. Bummer for Blair, but yay for me 'cause I got to be Super Dad! For the rest of the day Molly and I had a blast while Mom recuperated upstairs.

We started out by playing a game I like to call The Futility of Life. To play, I stack up Molly's blocks into elaborate pyramids and teetering towers. Then Molly knocks them down and eats them. Oh, cruel fate! It's especially poignant if you put a rubber duckie on top of the tower.

Next Molly got a gourmet lunch of oatmeal, mangos, and half an egg yolk. I slaved for a good five minutes preparing this banquet, but of course all she cared about were her lousy sweet potato stars. See, Blair bought Molly these things called Veggie Puffs - they're little puffed rice stars with a touch of sweet potatoes. (Or so they claim - I ate one and it tasted just like Kix cereal.) Molly LOVES them because she can eat them by herself (see photo), thank you very much, and now all other food pales in comparison. She's taken to waving her hand at me when she eats as if to say, "Hand me the spoon, I'll take it from here. Haven't you seen the way I chow down on my stars, Dad? I'm a big girl now."

When mealtime was over, Molly seemed a little bored so we decided to go for a swim. We changed her into her swimsuit, in the process smearing poop all over the place. That was awesome, but the fun really started when we got out to the pool. For one thing, Molly noticed the airplanes flying over us for the first time. Previously Blair and I would point up at the sky yelling, "Look, airplane!" like four-year-olds while Molly stared off in another direction. But today she spotted several small planes flying overhead (we live just south of an airport so there were plenty) and feigned interest for my benefit. It's good to humor your Pops.

Then, I decided to show off what a badass pool magician I am by blowing some bubbles in the water. But damned if she didn't decide she was going to do that, too! She opened her mouth real wide like she was going to take a big drink, and dunked her face in the water. The first time she came up she looked kind of surprised. I was like, "Hey, you're a beginner, this kind of stunt takes years of practice," but before I could finish she dunked her head again and this time blew some quick bubbles before coming up for air! I almost challenged her to a somersault contest but I figured Blair would probably overreact.

After the pool party we went back home and got dressed for bed, and THEN... came the big moment. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? Okay. So... Blair was nursing Molly a little while I lay next to them in bed, when suddenly Molly popped off, turned to look at me, and said, "Dada." No, really. She did it twice. Is that awesome or what? Blair has kindly dubbed this her first real word. I'm not totally convinced, but it was still pretty much the coolest thing, ever.

Ever.

Anwyay, tomorrow with any luck Blair will be feeling better, which means it's off to the daily grind again for me. But for a day, at least, it was just Molls and her Dada, and we had a ball.

Next time, she can have all the veggie stars she wants.