Today was babygirl's first birthday. Tomorrow, I go back to work after five months and 12 days as a stay-at-home dad.Speaking of ups and downs, it was an interesting day. Here's how it went.
No more monkeys jumping on the bed!
The last day, the last day, and her birthday to boot, and this is when Daddy's 163-day zero-incident streak ended. Mom was in the ensuite bathroom; babygirl was hanging out on our bed, and I was keeping an eye on her while she pulled stuff out of mom's purse. Or so I thought. I was putting back all the stuff, focusing on that task alone for just a moment too long, and she tumbled off the end of the bed. I got to her in time to see her land—on her back, thank the gods of parenthood—and look up at me with an expression that looked more pissed-off than anything else. But then the crying started. For a moment we thought she might have bitten her tongue, but she soon calmed down and it became obvious that she wasn't hurt. My wife, who had had a similar incident some months earlier, went easy on the recrimination, for which I remain grateful. The self-recrimination is plenty enough, thank you.
Birthday bonanza!
(Full disclosure: Some of this is shamelessly cribbed from my wife's entry in Emilie's baby book.)
Where we celebrated it: At home, on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Our friends and family came over for an afternoon barbeque.
Who was there: Mom and Dad, and 16 of the best birthday-party guests a one-year-old could ask for, including special appearances by rarely-seen luminaries Uncle Chad and Uncle Grant!
Special gifts: The gifts were all special (and if I've forgotten any in the following rundown, the fault is all mine). There was generous financial support from the grandparents. There were three pretty dresses. There were lots of books, including the wonderfully titled "Bears on Chairs." There were two baby dolls, and even a mini-stroller to push them around in. There was an inflatable bouncy cow from Mommy and Daddy that was a hit with everyone, especially when we discovered that it can support a full-grown uncle! There was a pink princess chair from Auntie Nancy and Uncle Grant, the ideal throne for our pink princess. There was a mesh ball pit complete with 500 balls from Auntie Cathy and the boys, which will become the centrepiece of Dad's grand vision of a vast basement network of activity spaces connected by tubular tunnels. And maybe a teleporter. But the clear favourite was a push-button pop-up toy that combines Whac-A-Mole with the people-popping-out-of-doors bit from Laugh-In. No batteries, music or flashing lights, just five buttons, five doors and a concept superbly suited to a baby's desire to make something happen by pushing something.
Birthday cake: Auntie Cathy made a special "Number 1" cake with pink icing and white lettering, plus a big batch of confetti cupcakes too!
So, the day got off to a rough start, but it turned out to be a very good day indeed. Now the diaper bag is packed and ready for the day home tomorrow, and my backpack is ready for my return to work.
Our time as constant companions is over so soon, my little girl. It's a time you won't remember as you get older, but it's a time I will never forget. I'm happy I got to spend it with someone like you.
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