Nine Hour Day

Saturday was a big day. We drop Mom off at Nicolle's in the morning and aren't going to see her till evening. Mom and Grandma and Nicolle's family and Uncle Tom and Aunt Annna and Kim and Brian have a date with Shamu the orca at Sea World, and we are free as a GPL license. Vivian and I have survived without Mom for two or three hours before. But this is new.

We head back to Lariat Ridge and hang out on the deck while Pete cleans the pool. Then we climb up the step ladder to plan out the next phase of exterior painting. Vivian isn't scared of heights, but Dad worries that Mom won't let us do this again if Vivian rolls off the roof, so we climb back down. Soon it's time for Vivian's quick morning nap. I don't get any painting done because I go back and forth between the roof and the crib every fifteen minutes. And then she's awake. When I get her from her crib, as I sometimes do, she expectantly looks around for Mom to feed her - as Mom always does. Vivian is worried now - looking around corners and under furniture. "Where's Mom?". But she keeps it together and we chow on apple juice from a sippy cup and rice cereal and green pea mush. She eats her green pea mush like it's the best thing since breast milk. Coincidentally, this is her very first meal that doesn't involve any.

We sit around and play with the only toy we can find - a little pink piglet holding a corn cob that spins (who thinks up these toys and what are they on). And we read Harry Potter (I am re-reading #6). And in a couple of hours Vivian is ready for her afternoon nap. She naps for almost 3 hours and I nap for a while too. Then it's time to heat up some milk that Mom left us, and yum - we are so happy. If she is worried about the fact that Dad's the only person she's seen in a long time, she is hiding it well.

We have a blast in the pool. She swims around like a frog with her legs sticking out from under a red inflatable crab that belongs to Katura. Then I propel her around the pool without the crab and she lunges for my shades. And finally, she has me hold her while she hoists the crab over her head and slams it down on the water like a pro-wrestler. Good girl - break the crab's neck.

It's 7pm, she's worried. Did Mom go to Mexico? I call, and Mom says she will be home soon. Vivian hears her voice on the phone and cheers up. I hoist Vivian on my shoulders - she grabs my hair with both hands, and we walk up the driveway with the setting sun shinning on our eyes. We sip a little apple juice. At 730pm, Mom comes through the front door - and Vivian is waiting - with a huge smile on her face.

For a moment, when Jo suggests that she can now go get a job, I worry about it. Then I think "Nah - who'd go work when you can do this instead."

Vivian and I had a pretty easy day. I didn't get anything else done all day - just "sitting on my ass" with Vivian - but it sure was relaxing. I look after my daughter for one day and feel like a home-town hero. Jo does this every day. Could I?