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We took it pretty easy today, having some family time with our mildly poorly (but still excellent value) kids. Ernie came pretty close to rolling over, which given he isn’t quite four months old isn’t a bad accomplishment. Phoebe’s new accomplishments are now daily. I looked at them both this afternoon as they sat watching TV/lay down failing to roll over and thought how lucky I am to have somehow had these idiots parachute into my life. In the bath I told Phoebe that I made her. “Did you build me?†she asked. “Sort of,†I replied, unwilling to go into full details. “I made you’†she arrogantly claimed. But in a way she did.
She’s now not so into Paw Patrol, but favours Dora the Explorer. It’s a pretty good show if truth be told. They’ve certainly put the work in. Some of the songs (and not even the ones they use every episode) have very high production values and they delve into some interesting source material, expanding on stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. There is a villainous character called Swiper, who I think is a fox, who occasionally appears to steal stuff from Dora. But as long as Dora and the viewers say “Swiper, no swiping, Swiper, no swiping†a few times, the masked fox gives up on his quest to steal. Which seems decent for a thief. He usually gets caught up in his scheme and attacked by bees or something, but only after he’s clicked his fingers and said, “Oh Maaan†which seems like a pretty lame attempt to establish a catchphrase.
He occasionally does swipe something, to allow some jeopardy, but Dora always gets it back.
But to give the show its due, Swiper is perfectly aimed at three year olds. Phoebe is both a bit pretend-scared of him - she will run over to me for a hug when he appears (so I like him very much as my daughter only shows affection when terrified) - and then laughs uproariously when he gets his comeuppance. I don’t think she will ever stoop so low as to get into his catchphrase. She’s way too cool for that. Her favourite catchphrase is “Ooo eee Rick†from Rick and Morty.
I took the usually easy shift of looking after Phoebe overnight whilst Catie slept in with Ernie, who wakes up two or three times each night. I needed some sleep ahead of tomorrow’s first RHLSTP (and I can’t believe how that has crept up on me - I had had visions of working up stand up material and reading all of Adam Kay’s book weeks in advance, but I’ve done next to nothing), but Phoebe’s cough got worse and she got hot and a bit spaced out. I came in to see her when she cried out and she said, “Are you OK, daddy? Did you hurt yourself?†So nice to know she was hallucinating about me.
We’re getting on pretty well these days, but when she’s ill or scared she values me very highly. And it’s such a nice feeling to be valued that it’s tempting to keep her a perpetual state of terror and sickness, like some kind of character in Inside Number Nine.
But it wouldn’t feel any good if you cheated your way to it. And it’s otherwise too horrible when they’re poorly as you allow yourself to imagine how you would cope if you didn’t have them.
I wish I’d never built them really.
