My curiosity was brewing like a raging storm, so I pointed at one of the tools and looked to Daddy. “Wha dat?”
Daddy’s eyes lit up as he told me all about the tool and its purpose. Daddy continued to carry me around the shop as I pointed at various objects, and he’d tell me about them.
At first, I was worried that Daddy would get frustrated with me asking so many questions. I was so wrong; he not only answered them but also encouraged me to keep going and seemed to enjoyit as much as I did. Daddy’s voice was so smooth and deep as he talked about his craft, and it made me even happier that I got to call this amazing, talented man Daddy.
15
Daniel
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my ramblings about the various tools in my shop and their uses. I pulled my phone out to see that the pizza would be arriving shortly.
Tristan had been watching with rapt attention as I carried him around my workspace and explained my craft. Would he ever need to put this information into practice? Probably not, but just like the age group of the headspace he was in, he asked his question in small phrases like “what dat?” or “why?” Itwas absolutely precious and made my heart soar. My boy was incredibly creative, and his passion for everything crafty was even more tangible when he was in little space.
“Okay, sweet boy, I’m sorry to cut this short, but it’s time to go inside. The pizza is almost here.” At first, Tristan looked solemn at my words, but as soon as the word pizza left my mouth, I had to grip him tighter because he began to wiggle and clap in excitement. “Ezza! Ezza!”
I chuckled at his adorable pronunciation of ‘pizza’ and planted a kiss on his cheek. “That’s right, baby, it’s pizza time!”
Tristan continued to clap and cheer as we made our way back inside. One of my favorite parts of being a Daddy was experiencing my boy’s unbridled joy. As adults, we often take the small things for granted, but watching my boy practically lose his mind over pizza made everything feel much brighter and exciting.
Usually, I would take Tristan to the living room and place him on the couch with a stuffie or cartoons while I got our food, but Tristan regressed a lot younger than my previous boys, and I didn’t want to be too far from him. I made my way into the kitchen and placed Tristan on the countertop beside me. “Daddy’s right here, but you still have to be careful so you don’t fall.”
My sweet boy stilled instantly, being careful not to wiggle too much. “Otay Dada!” I carefully made my way through the kitchen, making sure I never moved too far away from Tristanso he wouldn’t fall. I gathered some plates, as well as water for myself and a sippy cup full of juice for my boy.
I picked Tristan up and began taking our stuff into the living room so we could watch TV while we ate. If we were on the couch, I would have plenty of room to hold my boy in my lap as I fed him. I had to make a few trips because I only had one hand, but it was more than worth it to hold my boy.
“Dada, can I cowor and watch toons. Me and Ewwie’s ezza pawties always hab toons.” My sweet boy let out a big sigh, and a flicker of sadness crossed his face. “I hope Ellie’s not lonely.” My heart melted at his concern for his friend. “Would you like to have Ellery over for a play date soon?”
Tristan gasped, his eyes sparkling with surprise and excitement. “Oh pwease Dada Pwease!” I sat him down on the couch and crouched before him. “Of course, little one. But as far as tonight, we can definitely watch cartoons while we eat our pizza, but no coloring until after you’ve finished.” Tristan pouted and seemed like he was going to fight me on it, but based on his reply, he had decided against it. His reply was reluctant, and I had to hold back a chuckle. “Otay Dada.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re such a good boy.” Tristan’s smile beamed at my praise. Just as I leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips, the doorbell rang, signaling that our pizza had arrived. “Stay right here, little one. I’ll be right back.”
After I returned with the pizza, I put on a cartoon I knew he liked. Tristan was so captivated by the screen. I took that as my chance and ran back into the kitchen and pulled out one of the pre-made fruit cups I had prepared earlier. Tristan was stillsitting on the couch, and his head whipped toward me as I made my way back into the room. “Ezza Time!”
My boy was just so damn adorable, I needed him back in my arms, so I plopped down on the couch and pulled him into my lap. “That’s right, baby, it’s pizza time! Open up.” I leaned forward and poked the slice of cheesy goodness to make sure it wasn’t too hot. When it passed the test, I held it up to Tristan’s waiting mouth. He made a chomping sound as he took a big bite, causing sauce to drip down his chin. Shaking my head in amusement, I grabbed a napkin off the coffee table and wiped the saucy mess off my boy’s adorable face.
“You’re cute when you’re making a mess, baby, but please take smaller bites, I don’t want you to choke.” Tristan’s face looked like he was a chipmunk with nuts stuffed in his cheeks as he nodded while continuing to chew the massive bite. I took a few bites by the time he was done chewing and ready to take another.
We continued to take turns eating and managed to watch two episodes of Tristan’s show by the time we were both done. My hungry boy was even more thrilled when I showed him the fruit cup full of his favorite fruits. Tristan grabbed the cup, insisting he could feed himself as he practically shoveled the contents into his mouth. I suspected he just wanted to eat faster so he could color.
Sure enough, as soon as the last bite of fruit passed his lips, he tried to speak with his mouth full. “I know you’re excited, but please chew before you speak. It’s not nice, and it could cause you to choke.” Tristan chewed more carefully and began to speak once he was done. “Sowwie Dada. I done. Can I cowor?”
“Of course, little one.” As I stood up, I maneuvered him so I washolding him and then gently placed him on the floor in front of the coffee table. “I’ll be right back.”
Not even a minute later, I had grabbed his dragon color book and crayons and placed them on the table in front of him. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
Tristan’s face flushed with embarrassment as he saw the dragon picture he had been working on earlier that day, likely remembering his accident. “I done wif dis one Dada. I wan yous to hab it.” My heart nearly exploded from how cute he was. “Thank you, sweet boy, it’s fantastic, and I can’t wait to put it on the fridge.
He looked up at me expectantly and parted his lips, so I bent down and placed a soft kiss on his nose, then held his pacifier to his waiting mouth. “Fank you, Dada. His words were muffled behind his pacifier, which somehow made them even sweeter. “Anything for you, little one. Now, this Daddy needs another picture for his fridge. Are you up for the task?” His beautiful curls bounced wildly as he nodded.
It was hard to tear my eyes away from my boy as he sat coloring. He hummed to himself as he swayed gently back and forth while coloring his picture. He was precious, and I was damn lucky to call him mine. Since he was entranced in his coloring, I decided to use this time to hang his picture on the fridge.
Once it was secure with a magnet, I stepped back to admire my boy’s work. Tristan seemed to regress from the one to three range, so his work didn’t stay within the lines; however, you could still tell he put all of his focus and attention into his work. His coordination was just different when he was so deep in alittle space, and that just made me feel prouder that my boy felt safe enough to let himself go.
I checked on Tristan before attending to a couple of things before bed. When I returned, he was only halfway done with his picture, but his shoulders were slouching, and he looked a moment away from passing out.
“Hey, sweetie, it’s time to start getting ready for bed.” As if on cue, my boy let out a huge yawn, causing his pacifier to fall out. Thankfully, it was still attached to the clip, so it didn’t land on the floor. “Dada, I wet.”
“Such a good boy for telling Daddy, let’s go get you in a dry diaper, and then it’s time to get ready for bed. Would you like another bottle?”
