Dad Entry #71

Megan has a front bottom and a back bottom. Yep, it's that simple. It's what Daddy calls them anyway. For now. During her bath, she knows what I mean when I hand her a washcloth and say, "Wash your front bottom now, Honey," and I think, gently, but she knows that already, and then I add, "Daddy will help you wash your back bottom." Her back bottom is kinda hard for her to reach and clean appropriately. No need for any fancy terms she hasn't asked for yet. Ok then, good thing we’ve got that covered.

Second grade starts this week for Michael. I can’t believe it. He likes to learn and create and think. He’s awesome. He doesn’t complain about school; he enjoys it. Although I'll never forget what he said after his first day of kindergarten, “My teacher is kinda bossy.” Funny. Yeah, teachers are kinda bossy. Bosses are kinda bossy too.

Megan still has a huge interest in anatomy. Future doctor? Not if I’m paying. Megan loves her ‘body books’, books with pictures and diagrams of human tissues and organs and systems. The other day before running out, I poked my head into her room to say goodbye. She was sitting on her bed reading. She held up the book, pointed at an image and said, “Look, Daddy, a blood cell.” I laughed, but not until I'd raised my eyebrows, said, "Wow, that is so interesting!" and pulled my head back out of her room.

Megan likes to look for 'treasures'. Treasures are anything of perceived value spotted on the ground, or anywhere in public, and unclaimed, i.e. available to pick up and keep. Super. Typically this means lost hair-bands, pins, clips, nuts / bolts, bottle-tops, ordinary paper litter… who knows. Nothing too poisonous. But the one that makes even Daddy cringe goes like this…. I hear my sweetheart say, "Hey, it's Dora!" I look and yep, it's Dora the Explorer alright, but her cute animated face is on a spent, dirty Band-Aid. Megan has proudly mined it from the pool filter nearest us.

Michael has about a million Pokémon cards now. And he knows everything about every one of them. He even bought one on eBay yesterday. Woo-hoo. Now if we can get him to sell some cards on eBay. And put the money in his 529.

Megan is a total kiss wiper-offer. I give her a nice, clean, dry, good-breath, goodnight peck and she immediately throws the back of her hand to her face and wipes it off. Yeah, I'm kind of annoyed. When Jenny and I were Megan's age and gave Papa Mike a goodnight kiss, it was like a sip of Miller Lite and a drag of a Marlboro. Right, Aunt Jenny? And Papa Mike had a mustache then. Enough said about that. No offense, Dad. Megan gives the best hugs though. Nice long ones, head-on-shoulder. They're amazing.