More Fun from Daddy

So, I'm having a leisurely morning this morning, with a welcome reprieve in workload until a new SOW gets signed (that's statement-of-work for you non-consulting types, not anything having to do with that nasty flu). It's raining and gloomy outside, so I decide to cheer myself up with a proper breakfast.

I chopped up the leftover grilled vegetables from dinner last night -- red, yellow and green peppers, eggplant, zuchinni, and onions (we had chicken fajitas) -- and put them in a pan with some eggs. Let it cook until almost done, then sprinked some cheese on and threw it in a 350-degree oven to cook for the last 5 minutes and get a little fluffy. YUM! I even emailed a picture of it (at left) to Eric just to make him jealous. Beats toast and jam, I think.

"So how is any of that More Fun from Daddy?" you ask in reference to this post's title. Well, he left behind some evidence of fun-having in the kitchen, you see. When I got the pot-holder out of the drawer to use in retrieving the frittata (that's what fancy people call my concoction) out of the oven, I was greeted with this:

Eric had put masking-tape eyes on the pot-holder to use as a hand-puppet in entertaining Oliver. So great. Of course, while "so great" was my first thought, my second thought was -- crap, how is this going to manifest when Oliver is 3 and requires much more than a hand-puppet for entertainment. I'm imagining the entire living room transformed into a cushion-fort for a start or a public-art-sized adventure with Crayola. Eric's creativity really knows no bounds, so I may be doomed. I mean, if a simple Huggies box can be so easily transformed into a herky-jerky hardwood floor rollercoaster ride like it was earlier this week, then I'm definitely in trouble.

Daddies Are Awesome

Eric is a great dad! He really does more than his share with Oliver -- including dirty diapers, daycare drop-off, baths, and the famous changing-table tango -- and all with much less frustration than Mommy. I'm not sure the long-term effects, but when Oliver does something particularly ornery, Eric just laughs it off, where I tend to get a bit tense about it.

And Oliver LOVES his daddy. With each of us side-by-side at the crib's edge, Oliver will invariably stand up with arms outstretched to Daddy. Like every single time. And you should see the boy's face light up with his daddy walks in the door after work. He's even more excited to see Eric than the unfed cats are.

But it's no wonder, really. Eric goes all lengths to make Oliver smile (and what a smile it is!). There are tons more gushing words I could say about Eric as a father, but I'll save them for some sappy Father's Day blog entry or something. For now, I just wanted to express my gratitude and share my amusement, as I'm sure Oliver was equally amused when Eric donned these get-ups to get a grin out of The Monk. Nice.

SAHD

Oliver -- poor little guy -- has had a fever for the past few days and a cough for a couple weeks prior. I'm hoping he gets better soon, but in the meantime, he's been at home instead of daycare.

Monday was lucky because my client was observing MLK Jr. Day, so I didn't feel too bad about taking off. Tuesday was my 5-hour-day gig, so I was able to take that off without a lot of sweat (and a little gratitude because I was able to watch all the inauguration coverage live). But today, I needed to get some work done for my Maryland client so Eric stayed home with The Monk today.

Here are some excerpts along his eye-opening journey so far (and it's only early afternoon as I write this -- wait until the sundowns start)...

1. As he hit the snooze bar after I was up with Oliver for 45 minutes around 5:30: "How's his temperature? Is he going to daycare?"
2. With a tightening voice as I was bundling up to leave: "What am I supposed to do with him all day?"
3. First call: "This kid is a monkey. He's all over the place."
   Response: "Should I be worried?"
4. Second call: "Man, you can't get any work done with him. I really thought I'd be able to get some work done."
5. Third call: "Sorry, that was Oliver playing with my phone."
6. Fourth call: "Aw, man, I was just about to get in the shower and he woke up. Do you think I can take him outside?"
7. Fifth call: "Ew, I think I should change him. He smells like he has a nasty poo."
   Response: "Why don't you do that and give him a bath to make him feel better and pass the time?"
   Eric: "I just gave him a bath."

Hahahaha... love it. I know I shouldn't be getting so much pleasure out of it. And, I know, like me, Eric is enjoying his day with Oliver for the most part, but it's so true that being a stay-at-home is WAY harder than anyone could imagine. So cheers to all my SAHM friends! Much props.