Anyone who has been to our house knows that it is not large. We have a little living room, a tiny dining room, a kitchen that is so small that the refrigerator is actually not in the kitchen but in the hallway, two little bathrooms, and three tiny bedrooms. When we were moving in, we quickly discovered that we had more furniture than space, and as a result, much of our furniture wound up in the basement. So did the computer. Which brings me to my latest Erin story.
Today, I decided to take a vacation day, relax, and stay home with Erin. After Laureen left for work, Erin and I played with some of her toys in her room, and then we played a couple of games of Guess Who. After the second game of Guess Who, my joints had taken all they could of sitting on the hardwood floor, and since Erin told me she was hungry, I figured it was a good time for me to take a break. I turned the TV on and changed the channel to the Noggin network, which consistently shows most of Erin's favorite shows (Toot & Puddle, Oswald, Jack's Big Music Show, Miss Spider, Little Bill, Pinky Dinky Doo, etc). Then I went and got Erin a banana.
With Erin situated and her hunger temporarily satiated, I figured that this was a good time for me to retire to the basement to check my email. Oswald was on, which tends to be her absolute favorite (though there is some wiggle room in the standings... I guess it depends on her mood when you ask her), so I figured I had at least 30 minutes of freedom. I dashed down the stairs and logged into my hotmail account. And I had mail... lots of it (a pretty rare occasion for me). I had about 12 actual messages in addition to a multitude of forwards... hmmm... "maybe 30 minutes won't be enough time," I remember thinking to myself.
I think I was about halfway through the second message, which was related to Relay, when a chill went down my spine as I heard a loud thump in the living room and Erin let out this blood curtling scream from upstairs, "DADOO!!!! DADOO!!!!!! YOU HAVE TO COME UP HERE NOW!!!!"
Any parent reading this can relate... I think my heart stopped beating, terrible thoughts racing through my head for a second (how could I have left her alone... what kind of a father am I, etc), as I leapt from the chair, sending the keyboard and mouse clattering to the floor, and raced up the stairs two at a time, through the kitchen door and dining room, finally bursting into the living room not knowing what to expect. I know I certainly didn't expect what received me as I scanned the room.
There, in the middle of our little living room, enthusiastically danced a grinning Erin, her little chair overturned on the floor (evidently the source of the thud that I had heard). On the TV was the Moose and Zee song "Everywhere I Go", which Erin knows I love.
"Dadoo, I had to call you because your favorite song is on... LET'S DANCE!" she exclaimed joyfully. I snatched her up in a hug, laughing hysterically as relief swept over my body (and Moose sang "puppies are the cutiest, treasure is the lootiest, teams are the rootiest, horns are the tootiest... everywhere I go). Putting her down, we danced, clapped, and laughed our way through that song... that silly, stupid song. When it was over, I decided to forgo finishing up with my email. It could wait... this was one of those perspective clarifying moments. Erin and I built her Princess puzzle instead (3 times).
It's like one of those credit card commercials. You know, where they detail the cost of certain items (like checking your email, thinking something awful had happened to your daughter, etc), but finish up with something along the lines of spending some quality time with your little girl: priceless.
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