“Her head is not supposed to do that.”

Pam pursed her lips together and held her child’s head up as she smoothed a miniature wash cloth over her little, pink body. Jim watched, poured, and provided commentary.

“Daddy doesn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Pam said. “He just…doesn’t understand a whole lot about babies…Pour.”

Jim grinned and followed the instruction to pour water down Jill’s rounded belly. She squirmed and his grin widened. “If you’re saying that I don’t understand how a head can roll around like that and still be technically attached, then you are correct Pam – I do not understand.”

Pam shook her head. “It’s not rolling around and it’s not independent from the rest of her.”

“I think it is.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Pam…somewhere on her body there’s a secret button…if you push it – her head comes off…or we take a trip to Narnia. I’m not sure.”

Pam laughed so hard her hands jiggled around in the water and Jill’s eyes flew open wide.

“Whoa…Pam…calm down,” Jim said, sticking his own hands in the water, sliding them beneath Pam’s to support the baby. “You’re startling our child…She’s sorry Jilly,” he added as an aside. “As you’ll notice, I was making an educated guess as to what’s going on with your head. Your mother on the other hand was laughing…at you.”

Jill smiled a slow satisfied smile and wiggled like a little fish in their hands. He focused on her eyes for a minute and he knew that smile was real. Just knew it. She was unbelievable.

Just then, bubbles surfaced on the water. “Aw, gas…like her daddy.”

“Like her mommy,” Jim corrected. “Chili at midnight anyone?”

“One time Jim! And I was pregnant…does not count.”

“On the contrary Pam….it counts….it’s probably why her head’s like that in the first place…Are you happy?”

She elbowed him gently and then smoothed her fingers over her baby’s tiny little shoulders, dashing soap suds away. “Pour please….”

Jim poured and made faces at their baby.

“Will you hold her ‘rolly’ head while I grab her towel, please?” Pam asked, shifting to the side a bit so that Jim could replace her hands with his. He nodded and slipped in seamlessly.

Standing in front of the small pink bathtub that they’d cradled inside the kitchen sink; Jim looked down at his daughter. She was so incredibly slippery that he had to adjust his grip every time she made a move.

God the things he thought about these days…The fact that he was giving his kid a bath in the first place was completely surreal.

He stage whispered, “Listen, it’s nothing to be ashamed of…really. You may grow up to be a Bobble Head, but that’s ok. Think of it this way…absolutely no debate over who gets shot-gun. You’re it baby….That’s nothing to scoff at. It’s a good life.”

“Stop it!” Pam called from the other room. “I don’t want her thinking she’s going to be sitting on Dwight’s desk or his dashboard!”

“Wow…Mommy has got bionic hearing,” Jim whispered then. “Bionic hearing, really bad gas…a drug problem – hence your bobbling head…but rest assured, Dwight will never… ever meet you...ever.”

Pam took the opportunity to swat Jim on the butt with a real towel, while carrying the baby’s softer one, on her shoulder.

Jim lurched forward dramatically. He turned to face her as she giggled heartily behind her hand. “Beesly…the only reason you felt even the ittiest little bit safe enough to do that is because I’m holding this child…do you even know how on it is later?”

“You won’t swat me with a towel,” Pam sighed matter of factly.

“Um…I will indeed.”

“No you won’t.”

“Wow…unmerited cockiness.”

“I prefer to call it confidence Jim. I mean…the first and last time you swatted me was the first time you made me dinner – other than a grilled cheese – I made a simple observation that instant mashed potatoes were not the same as “homemade mashed potatoes” and then you swatted me…”

He nodded proudly. “And I will do it again”

“No,” she said shaking her head. “I pretended to cry and you stopped.”

Jim looked at her, mouth agape. “You pretended to cry.”

She only shrugged and smiled at him.

He turned away, making a face at their child that clearly said ‘Can you believe your mommy?’ and then turned back to Pam. “Obviously…you can’t be trusted.”

She leaned against his shoulder, biting her lip. “You have to wrap her in this, put the hood on, and just kind of pat dry.”

“Pretty sure I’ve got the routine down there, Spock…besides, that’s the way I do it myself. So...”

“You just wrap yourself up and then pat?”

“Obviously Pam…you don’t get skin like mine from rubbing carelessly.”

Pam smiled and nodded. “Good to know…You can be in charge of everything dermatological with the baby from now on.”

“Yeah…the one who pretends to cry is giving me permission,” Jim said, shaking his head in mock indignation.

Pam watched quietly as Jim carefully wrapped their daughter up in her towel with bunnies all over it. He hoisted her up on his shoulder and patted gently. Snuggling a little to keep her warm. God…

See, the truth was he was already an expert at all of it. It was both sexy as hell and annoying at the same time.

A lot of it seemed to come naturally to him for some reason, while Pam felt she needed to read a book about most of it. Which was fine…but she did find herself a little jealous of the knack that Jim just seemed to have innately.

“What?” He asked feeling her eyes on him. “I’m not really mad at you…even if you are a liar.” He gestured towards the baby then, “You made me something…so….”

“No…I know…I just…” Her voice trailed off and she smiled wistfully up at him.

“What?” He asked grinning back at her. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said grinning as she leaned against his shoulder for a moment, staring up at the both of them. “You’re just really unattractive right now.”

Jim lifted his eyebrows. “That’s not nice Pam….Is it the baby weight?”

Pam laughed out loud and held out her arms. “Gimme…we’ll talk about how cute you are later.”

“No,” Jim said shifting so that his back was to Pam.

“Jim come on…You do this every time!”

“Oh I do this every time!? Like it’s cheating at scrabble? Pam…Piedonarcalepsy is a word for when your foot falls asleep. It’s not my fault if you’ve never heard of it.”

“Jim, givehertome,” Pam said in mock seriousness through her teeth, as he stepped away from her. Holding the baby close and carefully…like a bomb. He moved towards the refrigerator.

“No…it’s my turn Pam...Besides you can’t be trusted.”

“Jim…I have to feed her…come on!”

His head fell back dramatically. “Uh….do you have to use that every time? Pam it just comes off as lazy. The whole ‘I Have Breasts’ card…it’s just so played out.”

“Ha! I win the baby!” Pam exclaimed taking Jill. She bounced her up and down a little. “Listen…I’ll let you diaper and burp her if you want.”

“Wow…so sweet,” he said with his voice going hoarse. He followed behind them both as they made their way towards the nursery. Leaving the bath clean up for later, when Jill was sleeping.

“Somebody’s gotta take care of the burping and the pooping…I nominate you.”

“That is so gracious.”

Pam nodded slightly. “I know Jim…don’t get sloppy about it ok?”

Jim held out his arms behind Pam and made faces at their child. “Jilly…come on, you want to stay with daddy don’t you?”

From the first day they’d gotten Jill home he’d started ‘doing’ her voice. When she’d woken from her nap that evening he’d already developed an impression of someone he’d never even heard. “Yes Daddy I want to stay with you…Mommy just wants to hog me all to herself…but I want you Daddy! Save me from Beesly!”

Pam grinned in amusement as she laid Jill down on the changing table to diaper her. Jim reached for a fresh diaper and the baby powder on the top shelf.

“Jill’s calling me Beesly now?”

“This time Pam…this time. You shoulda heard what she called you when you were out of the room…But that’s what happens when you refuse to discipline…so…”

“Oh really? How do you suggest I…you know…discipline her for saying rude things about me?” Pam asked, the team effort at diapering completed, she moved towards the rocking chair, preparing to feed Jill.

Jim watched as Pam sat down. “No breast feeding…at all. That’d sure as hell be enough for me to learn.”

She only shook her head. “You’re horrible.”

“She’s the one who called you Equestraphobic.”

“Excuse me?”

“Donkey hater,” Jim said as if it were a far gone conclusion.

Pam looked down at their daughter, who eagerly wiggled closer to her breast, her sucking reflex kicking into effect. “I can’t believe she’d say that.”

“She’s not blind Pam.”

Pam leaned back in her chair. Jim knelt down next to them, watching. Yet another thing to marvel at. Bobbling heads…breast feeding…what kind of world was he living in these days?

It was a far cry from the world where he held his heart in his hands and begged her to take it on Casino Night; that was for sure. Now he got his heart squeezed so tightly every day…by the both of them…that he couldn’t breathe. And he wouldn’t have traded that sensation for anything.

Moments passed by before either one them spoke again.

He finally whispered. “She is the best baby ever.”

Pam’s fingers linked with Jim’s on the chair’s arm. “It’s a good thing we made her.”

“Very good….I’ll try not to fight you for her.”

Pam nodded and thought for a moment. “I can’t make that promise Jim.”

“Fair enough.”