building her a kitchen

 in a lot of ways it's hard for me to see much of myself in sho.  she looks like her papa, she dances like her papa, she drama-queens like her papa.  :)  but!  in one way she's mine, and that is her love of a good cozy spot.  she's always after me to "make a nest fo' me, mama bird."  there's a new nest in town these days, a long cardboard box that sho likes to do some cozy chilling in.  ah, but if only she knew from whence this cardboard box came!

i bought her a fancy vintage-style kitchen, oh, only about three months early.  can you tell i'm slightly excited?  i even got her the pink one, which was very difficult for my inner pink-hater to do.  that's love, man.

it is so tough to be away from sho so much while i'm at work.  on weekdays, i only get a couple hours with her before it's time for bed, which is pretty heartbreaking when i think about it, which i basically try not to.  so when an occasion arises where my working can actually benefit her, like by getting her the dopest kitchen on the internets, i'm pretty psyched to do it.  i really try to keep this in check, however.  endless toys is not my idea of an awesome childhood, or even a particularly good way to show your love, in my book.  but sometimes...  it's like: she's on the team, she gets a cut.

so anyway, i've been building this kitchen in my dad's workshop downstairs after sho goes to sleep at night, piece by numbered piece.  it took about a half an hour just to unpack all the pieces from the box, to give you an idea of how elaborate this project is, plus about a pound of various bolts and screws and things.  it feels good; it's like a variation on casserole making or pocket sewing, a physical way to show your love.  then the other morning my dad told me, "hey, sho's kitchen is done."  he was building it on the sly, too, and finished up the job!  my dad is really good at finding those little things, from handling paperwork and helping with budgeting (my two worsts), to bringing home a coke for my mom and baking bread for sho's pb&js...he just has a quiet "show your love" way of doing things sometimes.

my parents are spending a couple weeks in colorado for christmas, and my brother and his girlfriend will be joining them there.  and, as of a few days ago, sho and i are going to fly out and meet them there for a week as well, over christmastime!  sho's first airplane ride.  i've already gotten her a couple books about flying, and am pretty much so excited to travel with her.  so, i guess the little kitchen's debut will be put on hold a little longer.  we'll see if i can stand the suspense.