Maggie and I had a tough time this year coming up with a Father's Day gift for Erik. What do you get a Dad who doesn't want anything? (Worth noting - in sharp contrast, she has a Mom who wants everything - example...I want to plan a trip to Capri, Italy just so I can get some handmade sandals like Giada De Laurentiis').
So Father's Day gifts have to be a bit more on the creative side. And since her Dad is the creative one...this equation is not adding up. For the most part we did pretty well - if by pretty well you mean it's the thought that counts.
Since the thought of going to a place like Old Navy and buying Erik another blue and white striped button down shirt bored me to tears. SIDE NOTE: This is a running joke with us, if you look in his closet at the button down shirts, they are all variations of blues and whites in either checks, stripes or plaids - yet everytime he picks out a shirt and shows it to me for my opinion it is yet ANOTHER version of this same shirt! Each time I give him the "are you kidding me" look and he proceeds to explain how it is different than the 50 other blue and white shirts in that it is {insert pathetic explanation here}. He's worse than a woman.
So back to the topic at hand. I tried to think of what would be most meaningful to Erik without being cliche (no framed pictures, #1 Dad shirts - unless of course it had a blue and white pattern -, ties, etc.). And it occurred to me that for years he has been trying (jokingly I hope???) to get me to wear one of his high school soccer jerseys, jackets, etc. Of course I laugh hysterically at the thought of wearing one of these not only because they would actually be too SMALL for me (Erik was a 98 pound duckling) but...because...they...are...Slippery Rock High School jerseys. Let's let go of the past dear. So I thought - how cool would it be for him if Maggie wore one? So that was idea #1
Then, since he makes us dinner most nights I decided we would make him breakfast. The Norman Rockwell moment flashed before me - Daddy wakes up to Maggie and me singing "For he's a jolly good fellow" (ok - scratch that - I hate that song. Unless of course Fred and Barney are singing it then it's ok. It seems like a very popular Flintstone's song) while feeding him his breakfast like his little Greek goddesses. So that was idea #2
Card shopping for Erik is always a challenge because he hates Hallmark moments. Anything too sappy is frowned upon and I swear he even shakes the cards that I give him for money. So when I saw the 'record your own message' card that also sang "Hey Daddy-O" I thought it was the perfect mix of sentimental with a bit of a Pulp Fiction twist. Maggie would record her excited Da Da! sound and then the Daddy-O song would play. That was idea #3.
So let's recap the events of the day:
Maggie and I wake up and sneak downstairs to make breakfast. I failed to recognize at the time of planning that making breakfast with a 1 year old is like an ad for Bad Idea Jeans. You can't just put a 1 year old in her high chair with a plethora of puffs in front of her and not expect her to whine. So I ended up holding her the entire time while making breakfast. And I'm pretty sure there is not a chapter on Making Bacon While Holding Your Toddler in any child rearing book so I had to leave my crying child in the high chair while I did this. Between holding her in one arm most of the time and listening to her cry the rest, the French Toast came out burnt, the eggs were way too salty and the bacon just tasted off. Erik ate everything but the eggs...whatta guy.
STRIKE 1
After eating breakfast we go upstairs to get dressed and I put Maggie in one of Erik's old jerseys. But of course it is huge on her and it keeps falling off of her shoulders, she can't walk because she trips on it, she can't crawl because her arms get caught in it and she's just plain frustrated. So Daddy sees her for a brief second in it gives her the old "look at you" that Dad's say when they aren't really that interested, we change her and move on to the rest of the day.
STRIKE 2
The week prior to Father's Day I tried recording Maggie's message on the card over and over and over. Maggie recorded perfect DA DA's! at least 10 times but the &*$#ing card would not save the recording which required me to go BACK to the Hallmark store and exchange it for a working card. I swear, if there is a way to return something I will most certainly find it. So Sunday morning I am trying to get Maggie to record her greeting on the card without waking Daddy up. And of course each time I hit the record button she says "MA MA!"...NO Honey...say DA DA!! "MA MA?"...NO DA DA...MA MA? (you get the point). Finally I get one DA out of her after a 3 second silence and the recording is perfect (if by perfect you mean good enough). Daddy opens the card and hears silence and closes it. After I instructed him to leave it open for a while, he heard the finished product and loved it. The best part of the whole thing is Maggie's reaction to it. She'll say DA along with her recording and dance to Hey Daddy-O with the biggest smile on her face.
We nearly had a strike with this one but Maggie redeemed us with her excitement.
So we didn't strike out but we didn't have a home run either. Overall it was a nice day with a family picnic to top it all off (and somehow Maggie getting a trip to the toy store).
Happy Father's Day DA! Love, Maggie. Get used to many more fiasco-filled days ahead.
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