The Checkered Life of Erik Cantrell

Chapter Eleven: How Quickly Time Passes …

Feeding Jamison used to be easy. He always gobbled down his bottle of milk and when they put him on 'solid' food, as in the pureed baby food, or if Kayleigh was up to it, she would strain it and mash it herself, from vegetables grown in their own garden. The baby yowled in between bites. They couldn't shovel it in fast enough for the infant. Erik was simply astonished at how quickly the child grew. So tiny at birth and now he was all but running.

Erik placed his Toddler son into the high chair. He then put a plate on the tray. A whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Jamison refused to touch it. "Since when did you become a picky eater?" Erik said, hands on his hips. He lifted the sandwich to the boy's mouth. Jamison clenched it closed.
"Okay, so what's wrong with it? Mama says you like P, B & J. Go on, it's peanut butter and jelly. You like that."
"Mama cut it."
"I'm not Mama, but I'll cut it if you at least take a bite." Before Erik could remove the plate, Jamison had yet another request.
"Potty."
"What? Oh, okay, come on, let's go." Erik picked up the child and sat him on the potty-chair in the bathroom off of the kitchen.
"There we go, there we go. Okay, that's a good, good boy."

By the time Erik got him back into the highchair to finish his lunch, Jamison was crying and carrying on as if his best friend had just gone missing. Erik let him out. An exhausted Jamison passed out on the floor. "Oh, great. We missed napped time. I'll be back, don't move." Erik ran up the stairs to check on the newborns. Taking care of their simultaneous needs, he was ready for a nap himself.

Erik trudged back down the stairs. At that time Jamison was waking up. "Feel better, after some sleep, do you?" Jamison nodded. "Okay, let's to outside, shall we?"
While it was chilly outside, the sun was up and it was rather beautiful. "Isn't it a nice brisk day, Jamie?"
"Bear," the boy said.
They played Bear. Erik swooped the tiny tot up into the air, held him upside down for a bit, up and down and up and down, and then twirled him onto his broad shoulders, acting as if he couldn't see the boy. "Where did you go? Jamie, where are you?" The child giggled. And then Erik decided it was story time. Not as young as I once was, he silently groused, trying to catch his breath. "Once upon a time, …" Erik began, holding the Toddler book in his lap, so that Jamison could see the pictures and turn the pages. Erik continued reading.
"Why?" Jamison asked, when the story was over.
"Well, because that's how the story is written. You should listen to your Daddy. I have a University degree."
"Why?"
"Because a Degree makes a Sim smart — and your Grandpa made me get it."
"Why?"
"Is that the only question you know how to ask?"
"Huh-huh, Daddy funny."

Later, Erik was upstairs seeing to his beautiful identical twin daughters. Both were in an uproar and he hoped Kayleigh returned from her outing, soon. His cell went off. Adrian wanted to chat. "Hey, Adri, how's it going?"
"What's all that noise in the background?"
"Noise? Oh, that's just Melody and Harmony —"
"That's not melody or harmony. That's cacophony, brother."
"I know, but once I get them settled …"
"Good luck with that one. Are you over there by yourself? I can come over and help, if you need me to."
"Sure, come on over. I'll never refuse help."