Happy Fun Day

Perhaps Dad isn't as stupid as he looks

Welcome to the inaugural, "Mia and Dad Happy Fun Day". For the next 6 months (at least) I'm working a 4-day week, taking a 20% pay cut, to play with my child and free Corrie up once a week to make progress on her dissertation.

Now let's be honest here, today began with a not insubstantial amount of trepidation. Not only has she spurned my love over the last few weeks, but she recently decided not to nurse from the bottle either. My boss relates her experience forcing her eldest daughter off breast-feeding, and it wasn't pretty. She had to go back to work, and with no other options apparent; their daughter went cold turkey. She left the house and stayed away until she took the bottle, leaving her husband home to try to force feed their screaming, beet-red-faced child every hour or so. Took her 30 hours before they broke her will. 30 hours I hoped never to have to see.

So far she's been great. She took about half a bottle at 10:00, fussed a bit, then after priming her palette with some vitamins, she agreed to finish off the bottle. We played on the floor with her colorful grabby toy; she showed off her neck strength on her belly, burped and is down for her mid-morning nap in her swing. (By the way, thank you Sara and Andy for that. It's amazing).

All leading to the indisputable conclusion that I'm not nearly the toxic presence I was looking to be just last week. We'll head out for lunch to meet up with Corrie at a local cafe, then see what kind of trouble we can get into without mom around.