Fatherhood

The tractor ... we can always climb on, but not when it is turned on ... that would be scary. The car ... steering and moving all the buttons and levers ... nothing scary here. The big-wheel ... only the original; the new ones are cool, but only the original is the best. Swedish-Fish ... how many can we shove in at one time ... The broom ... so we can sweep up the mess we just made. The computer ... how many times has he turned this one off while I was working on something?

One of Patrick's favorite snacks is Swedish Fish. His grandmother introduced him to them and it was love at first bite. All we have to do is mention them and he gets excited ... hand out, eyes glinting in excitement. Tonight I opened a fresh bag and was passing them to him one at a time ... over a period of about an hour. I had some projects to finish, so I handed the bag off to Jen and went into the other room, secure in the knowledge that the fish would keep him securely distracted so that I could get some work done. A few minutes into hanging a copper butterfly from the ceiling, I got called into the kitchen ... "Papa, you've got to see this." As I entered, I saw Patrick with a handful of what had to be about eight Swedish Fish ... which he promptly crammed into his mouth. Mimicking a chipmunk, he reached into the bag and grabbed a few more ... to the peals of his parent's laughter. With a fish in each hand and his mouth stuffed, he looked at me w...