Dah Dah

Dah dah is a popular guy in these parts. Not sure what it is about him. Might be that goofy smile, that gruff I'm-about-to-tickle-the-heck-out-of-you voice, or his contagious high pitch, ever-present giggle. Whatever it is, he's a pretty big hit, that's for sure.

It could be the way he looks at Finny and shakes his head saying, "Knowshon Moreno" over and over again. Finny has no concept of who Knowshon or the Broncos are, but he shakes his head right back nonetheless, his eyes moving back and forth in a goofy kind of just learning how to shake his head sort of way.

Then again maybe it's the way he calls Finny "Melky Cabrera" in the Melky Cabrera voice when Finny has a milk goatee that really makes him so popular.

One thing's for sure, Finny waits for Dah dah. Day and night he waits as if anticipating the arrival of Santa home from the office.

In the morning if we are eating breakfast when we hear Dah dah's footsteps on the stairs, Finny chucks his milk cup across the room and starts flinging eggs and kicking his legs watching the door with duck mouth in full bloom until the moment Dah dah crosses the threshold into the kitchen with his own duck mouth in full bloom.

If we are playing on the floor when he hears the first footsteps, he takes off pounding his knees across the hardwood to meet Dah dah at the bottom of the stairs.

Maybe Finny knows that Dah dah would sit and hold him in the middle of the night when he was a fussy infant to try to get him to sleep comfortably. Maybe Finny knows that it took Dah dah a while to learn that it was not okay to wake him up just simply because he wanted to play. Or maybe Finny knows that Dah dah kicks his legs the whole ride home pounding the gas pedal to get home and meet Finny on the family room rug and shower him with kisses and thigh tickles.

I'm pretty sure Finny loves Mommy, I mean he's dropped a few hints here and there, but at thirteen months old, he doesn't have a name for me. He will, however, look right at David as he walks into the room, and with lots of tongue and teeth shout, "Dah dah!"

If Finny could figure out how to say it, he would call Dah dah on the phone today (he could tell him in person, but he will do anything for a chance to use the phone) and say, "Happy Birthday, Dah dah! I'm so lucky to have you as my Daddy."

But then again, sometimes words just don't do it justice. The giggling, the milk chucking, the knee pounding, the complete, utter adoration expressed with tiny baby squeals--those are more delicious than words.

We love you, Dah dah. Happy Birthday.