>I wave at Mom as she takes off in the ol’ SUV. It’s real nice of her to watch after Petunia while Liz and I are at work.
>...Petunia. Man, it’s been like eight months and I still can’t believe I’ve got a kid. It’s weird - I still don’t feel ready for it. Always figured I’d look like Dad before I had one - big belly, droopy frills, old. It feels like my girl’s growing up faster than I am.
>Literally, even. I look behind me, and spy the best thing that’s ever happened to me poking her head into the hallway. Her eyes were planted on Mom’s car. Now, they’re planted on me.
>She’s sitting, like, three feet into the living room. At this rate, she’s gonna be looking down at me before she’s two. My frills twitch a little at the thought. God, I gotta stop thinking about that.
>I close the front door and smile at Petunia. Her head gets higher and higher, trying to match me as I walk up. She doesn’t get much further than my abs.
>The sight of her brings an easy smile to my face. I turn the twitch in my frills from before into a full wiggle as I feel the studio voice slip back on.
“Hey there, beanstalk!”
>Works every time. She bursts into a big, toothy grin, squeaky giggles spilling out with her babbling.
“Fwill!”
>That was her first word a few weeks ago. As she gets excited watching mine wiggle, hers extend into a wide circle around her head. Just like the petals of a petunia.
>It works every time. My smile turns into a massive grin. God, I’m a lucky guy. I stoop down, talking with my hands. Work’s even more fun when I’m doing it for my daughter instead of TV.
“Okay, Petunia. Are you ready for dinner?”
>She squeaks, beaming. That’s a yeah!
“Awesome! Daddy’s gonna go get your bottle and num nums ready, okay?”
>She pouts at that. Her frills deflate a little as her head bounces up and down.
cont