Friday Four

A list on fatherhood is long overdue...

1. It happens so often that it took me a month or so to remember to mention it here: My daughter likes to stand on my feet when I'm sitting on the couch and she wants to use the coffee table. It may seem to be a silly thing to put down here, but one day, she'll stop doing it, and other memories and concerns could eventually crowd out my memory of this now-daily small delight of fatherhood. I don't want to forget the fact that it always makes me smile when she does this.

2. Another delight of fatherhood is the element of surprise inherent in seeing a new personality develop. This week, I was amused at how indifferent my daughter was to seeing elephants at the zoo, and yet how much she liked prairie dogs.

Also she is currently fascinated by boys. She often points and says, "Boy!" when she sees one. She also giggled with delight during a one-sided game of peek-a-boo with one during a trip to the Magic House yesterday.

3. Lately, whenever we arrive home from picking Mrs. Van Horn up from work, Pumpkin has been saying, "Out! Out!" because she wants to get out of the car seat, just as we get into the driveway. Usually, I unlock the front door, then come back to get the baby. Whenever she is released from the seat, she gets out and goes to the other side of the back seat, and giggles as she tries to avoid me picking her up to get her out. I guess that means we're playing "chase" now. When I go to the other side of the car to get her, she tries to "escape" back to the other side.

4. Our son is on the way: One month and one week from now, Mrs. Van Horn will be headed to the hospital for a c-section. Experience makes me no less excited or nervous than the first time around.

-- CAV