"Monkey"

Sometimes, more often than two months ago, Annalee asks to be held by her daddy. I've been proud to witness the bonding between my daughter and my wife, but I must admit that being singled out for my daughter's affection of late has held a certain sweetness for me.

Our angel has been in a reading phase again, and the book of choice at present is "Curious George Goes Fishing." She asks for it by name: "Monkey." There is a second Curious George Book -- "Curious George Goes to the Movies" -- that she owns, and you would think that calling the fishing book "Monkey" could lead to some confusion. But that is not the case. When she says, "Monkey," she always means the fishing book.

Another Can of Formula

Most surprising thing I've seen myself do since becoming a father: opening a can of formula with a manual can opener using only one hand. Not real often, but occasionally, Annalee needs a bottle right away and also needs not to be put down. This led, inevitably, to a conundrum. At some point, several months ago, I decided to simply try opening a can with my right hand while holding Annalee in my left. I succeeded, though not especially smoothly. In the handful of times I've performed the trick since, I've gotten slightly smoother, the key being to stop viewing it as a big deal. Annalee, hungry and tired on these occasions, hasn't appeared too terribly impressed by the feat. Who can blame her? It's just Dad opening another can of formula, after all.