October 23, 2006

Watching the grass grow under your feet

It's been a while, punkin.

Looking, in fact, at the last date I posted here, it would seem that it's been over a month. Surely, you would think, something should have happened in the past month that was exciting enough for me to write to you about. It needn't be anything earth shattering, you will say, but come on, Dad, get your act together.

Being a Dad of Action, it is therefore now that I must take the proverbial bit in my teeth and run down with you a few of the happenings in casa peenydeeny over the last month or so.

The primary noticable change in you, my sweet one, has been a marked difference in your verbal communication. It is now clear to me that I have a name "DAD", that I have a purpose "DRINK", that I own some pets "DOG" and that I provide you with chauffer services "CAR". It is also clear what books you like, "SPOT", and what you like to drink "MILK".

I don't think, punkin, that I was actually prepared for this eventuality. I wasn't ready to open a book for you and ask you to show me the duck. I wasn't up to the challenge of continuing to hold you in my arms when you pointed at it and said "DUCK". Your dad's a bit of a softy, that's clear all the way through the preceeding pages, but I don't think anyone will begrudge me a teeny tear when I realised that our communication was about to take on a whole new facet, a fundamental shift in how we spend time together.

A lot of other stuff happened too, like your grammy and grandad came home and started looking for a house and bought a car and came over to see you a lot and your mum and dad went away overnight without you and it was your mate Sam's birthday and we had cake and fairy bread and we demolished the triffid and your dad was very busy at work and there was sunshine and not very much rain and the dogs ate the pretty water lily so the pond is going to stop being a pond and start being a flower garden and the fishes are going to go live at your grandads because he has lots of ponds and we bought you a swimming pool but you don't like it very much and i think the dogs will have popped it by the time i get home today and i think there's more but i can't remember it all now so i'll tell you later when i remember.

love you,