Fatherhood: Day VI, Return of the Mommy

This morning again began at 3AM. However, either I'm getting better at getting her back to sleep or her heart wasn't in it this morning because it was only an hour this time. She then woke up at 6:30 and was not going back to sleep anywhere! I think she realized she'd fallen victim to the oldest trick in the book, "put the tired child in the car and you will soon have a sleeping child" and felt the need to pay it back. I attempted my usual "you play in the playroom, I sleep on the couch." She was having none of that either. I drifted for as long as it took for her to toddle her way from the train table to the couch and awoke to one little hand smacking the couch in front of my face and the other little hand pointing to her high chair and a little voice going, "Eh eh eh eh." Alright, I'll feed you!

Full House wakes up around 7:30 and we start to get ready for church. Now, on any other day I could tell him that we had to visit a pig slaughter house and he'd be marginally excited about it. Tell him that we are going to church, a place at which he has fun every time he's there, and he screams and cries.

I learned that it's surprisingly easier to get three people ready to go than it is four. And while my daughter's strategy was one of retaliation, it actually facilitated a more efficient morning than I'm used to. With her insistence that I feed her before 7AM that meant there was less I needed to do as we approached our time of departure as her hunger was satiated and she was dressed before her brother even woke up.

Full House, on the other hand, fights getting dressed, doesn't want to eat and cries most of the way to church. We work through the tears and actually get to the building and he's thrilled when he sees our friends driving in (Friends that I rarely beat to church, I might add). Once inside he practically leaps from my arms and runs to our friends. Why can't I figure out my 3 year old?

Full House is in his Sunday School. Wild Card reluctantly joins him but is not happy that neither mommy nor daddy is there. Daddy is teaching the high school youth group (The current series: "Epic Fails of the Bible." Discussing how "great men and women of God" failed and yet were still so highly regarded and attempting to learn from their shortcomings. We've done Jonah and Esau so far. Barak is next (Judges 4).)

*Side note* To answer your inquiry: My preparation was so "impeccable" for two reasons. As promised, I've begun reviewing and forming the lesson a little bit each night throughout the week. However, I'm still completing everything on Saturday night so it is very fresh in my mind when I go to teach it Sunday morning. I've toyed with preparing before hand, say Friday night, and reviewing on Saturday night, but it's just not the same. I've found that my lesson is most cohesive and I present it best when I've finalized it mere hours before I teach it. It's also still fresh to me, so I'm not bored by it so (hopefully) I don't bore others with it. I hope that answers your question. *End Side note*

After church we rush home to see if the QoH has contacted us to say when to pick her up. Little Miss Muffet (as she's referred to on my wife's blog) has, again, fallen asleep in the car (insert maniacal laugh here). No contact yet. Lunch and rush to nap time because I know I'm going to have to wake him up to get his mommy.

The call comes in. Pick up the QoH at the train station at 5.

The reunion is set. I've been mulling over some things that I've been tempted to say to her as soon as we see her. Here are some of my favorites:

11) Don't be surprised if we get a call from the FBI...
10) Good news! Full House is immune to poison ivy!
9) What? No, he had that when you left.
8) The doctor says there will hardly be a scar.
7) Did you know our health care covered snake bites?
6) My turn.
5) I'm 90% sure this is the right baby.
4) So, remember the car?
3) At least this child is still walking.
2) Don't worry, the police have been notified.

and my personal favorite:

1) Didn't you take her with you?!

I rouse my son to go get his mommy. He proceeds to cry the entire way to the station for his mommy to hold him because he's so tired because I woke him from his nap so we could go get his mommy. Why can't I figure out my 3 year old?

As soon as he sees my smiling wife he is an excited cherub. Of course, I say none of the things listed above. We go out to dinner. On the way home Wild Card does not fall asleep in the car, but the QoH does. She'd been traveling for nearly 24 hours. I get the younglings into bed and sit down to write this final instalment of my adventure.

My closing thoughts: I think my daughter and I will have a stronger relationship because of this time. When Full House was about 4 months old we had just moved and I was out of work. I had more time than we could afford to be home and present in his life. Wild Card missed out on this. I think this odyssey has provided us with an opportunity to bond more fully.

I have a better understanding of the thrills and monotony that my wife goes through day in and day out.

To my male friends with children I have some bad news: If I can do it, you can do it. You may want to hide this series from your wives if it isn't too late already.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, calls, and comments. Before my wife left, I joked that my daughter's first words would be, "Daddy, when are you going back to work?" And truthfully, I didn't think I'd be saying this but: I'm not really looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. I will miss the time with my little ones (and my wife, now that she's home.)

Thanks for "experiencing" this with me. I hope you enjoyed these posts.