Journals of a Stay-at-home-Dad. Day 6. Yesterday's big game hunt was successful. Wild shopping carts were everywhere though and required all my skill to dodge, lest I lose sight of my quarry. Working Wife seemed distressed that Small Human seems to only spit up onto her shirts. I resumed responsibility for Small Human and Working Wife was much relieved. Small Rabbit was indifferent to the new bag of littler I brought him, regardless that it's about 4 times his body weight. The raisin I held out to him was of great interest though. All of us, save Small Rabbit, will be questing today though. First to our local house of worship then off to Grandparents domicile. Onwards!

Jim finished typing his latest journal entry and sent it off to his Facebook profile just as Pam was coming downstairs with Cece in her arms. They had on matching green dresses. The only difference was that Cece was wearing white tights, while Pam had on her usual color of sheer pantyhose.

“Jim? Ready to go?”

“Yup!” he called out as he closed his laptop. Jim slid a loafer onto his good foot and followed Pam out to the driveway. He locked the front door behind him and made his way to their car. Pam already had Cece in her car seat and was holding the front passenger door open for him.

“Why thank you milady,” he grinned.

Pam smiled back and gave him a quick kiss as he sat down and used his hands to help maneuver his walking cast into the car. She closed the door for him before climbing into the driver’s seat and backing out into the road.

“Mind if I pick the music this time?” Jim asked as he plugged in his iPod.

“No, go ahead.”

He scrolled through his playlists before making a choice. Hitting play, he set the player down in a cupholder. As the first strains of Bohemian Rhapsody, filled the car he snuck a glance at his wife.

Pam was trying to keep a straight face, but the corners of her mouth were twitching. She looked over and saw him grinning, which caused her to break as well. She smiled and shook her head.

“Dork.”

“You love it,” Jim said back to her.

“I do, as well as all the other song on my teapot playlist, but you’re still a dork.”

Jim reached over to brush one of her curls behind her ear. Pam tucked her head to the side at the slight tickling sensation. “But I’m your dork.”

“Wouldn’t have it anyone other way,” she said kindly after Jim brought his hand back. They spent the rest of the drive to their church listening to the playlist he’d made for her. By now the familiar songs were old favorites, full of cherished memories.

Arriving at their church, Jim and Pam dropped Cece off in the nursery and made their way into the sanctuary. They held hands throughout the service with Pam leaning her head on Jim’s shoulder halfway through the sermon. They sat to the rear of the sanctuary for two reasons. It was easier to get in and out with Jim’s foot in his cast and, and as Jim explained to Pam, they were closer to the cookies and coffee that were always set out after the service. As the final notes of the Doxology faded from the organ, Jim was proven right. They were among the first couples in line in the Fellowship Hall.

Pam carried her cup of tea and Jim’s coffee to a table, while Jim had a napkin full of cookies. He sat down and promised to keep a careful eye on the teabag steeping in Pam’s cup while she walked off to retrieve Cece. He dunked it a few times to help the tea soak into the water. He stirred cream and sugar into his own mug and sat back to wait for Pam. He didn’t have long to wait. She was walking back with Cece in her arms and were talking to some friends who arrived at their table.

“Your baby,” Pam told him and deposited Cece in his lap.

“My baby,” he agreed and looked up at their new table-mates. “Ethan, Emily, how’s it going?”

“Oh fine,” Ethan Wilcox replied while bouncing his daughter on his knee. “Nice to have the weekend off. We’re short-staffed again at work so it seems we never get any down time between calls.”

Emily also greeted him fondly before she and Pam left the table so Emily could also get a cup of tea.

Jim nodded and then made a face at the one-year old girl giggling across the table. “And how are you Miss Lily-bug?”

“Gah!” Lily grinned back and clapped her hands together.

“She’s getting so big,” Jim commented.

“Yeah,” Ethan looked away for a moment to dig into their diaper bag and pulled out a small plastic container of Goldfish crackers. He poured a few out on the table. Lily dug into her snack with gusto. “She’s starting to get the hang of walking too. I give it a week and she’ll be running around trying to catch the dog.”

Both men laughed at the image of Lily toddling after the Wilcox’s Australian Sheppard.

“How’s the leg?” Ethan pointed to Jim’s cast.

“Getting better,” Jim glanced down for an instant. “I’ve got an appointment with the doc later this week for an x-ray. Hopefully, I’m in the home stretch and will be able to get back to work soon.”

“That’s good. Oh! That reminds me!” Ethan brightened up and dug into the pocked of the khaki cargo pants he was wearing. “I got that stuff from work you were asking about.”

He set out several small packets that looked like condiment packets. The label though read; Medi-Lube.

“Hopefully those should work for you.”

Jim picked them up with a gleam in his eye. “You’re sure this will wash off?”

“100%,” Ethan said. “It’s the same stuff we use to lubricate the breathing tubes we use on the truck. However, we’ve all used them to lube up the handles and mics of each other’s ambulances. It comes right off with some water.”

“This will be great when I get back to the office.” Jim smiled as he pocketed the packets. “I’ve told you about my co-worker Dwight?” After Ethan nodded, Jim went on. “I’ve superglued a lot of his stuff before. Same result though. Should be hard for him to grab any of his desk supplies.”

“Have fun man,” Ethan replied.

They kept chatting across the table. Emily and Pam returned after a few minutes while they all enjoyed their morning snack. When both sets of parents noticed their daughters were starting to fall asleep, they got up from the table and walked out of the church into the warm summer sun.