Unexpected things that make you happy...

Emily gets up with the baby.

Sleeping in.

Waking up.

Bye-bye family!

Working at home.

Prepping for language class (and feeling like prepping for language class).

A good language class, with a teacher you like.

Mr. Doughnut.

Incredibly loving people who watch over your child while you do other things.

Your child running to greet you when you arrive at nursery school.

Your child's very cute "bye-bye" in English and Northern Island.

A walk in the park.

Encouraging the ill-conceived, messy, and exuberant fountain playing while...

Talking to some other foreigners who are also at the park.

Watching your son play in the sand and then in the fountain again.

Admiring how well-behaved, polite, and non-aggressive your child is.

Wringing out your child's clothing and risking letting him go "commando."

Meeting your wife and walking (slowly, she's pregnant) to dinner.

Getting the diapers.

Eating the dinner (yum!).

Kid is playing in the playground.

Hey, he's on the second level.

He's a little scared, but you can get him down.

(Being a parent makes you feel all-powerful sometimes).

Bye-bye playground!

(Kid is willing to go without making a fuss.)

And get in the car.

Fill up tank.

Go home.

How did it get to be 7?

Before bath, kid watches you pee.

He wants to pee.

He starts to pee by the toilet.

You put him on the toilet, but then he doesn't want to pee anymore.

You take him off the toilet.

You demonstrate peeing: we can pee sitting down or standing up!

He starts peeing next to the toilet.

You put the toilet underneath the pee stream.

We all applaud!

Yes, you are peeing in the toilet!!

Demonstrate emptying the toilet (which he has seen on potty video).

We are all flushing the toilet!!!

Give kid a bath.

And feed him cheese, milk, and yogurt. (Yes, we do sometimes have three dairy products at the same meal.)

Give him his "gum" (actually fluoride, but he is enthusiastic about it because he thinks it is gum, which I am always chewing but which he has never had).

Brush his teeth.

Read books.

Sing "Old McDonald."

Goodnight!

A nice day, all around.