After pouring in a healthy amount, more than I would normally have added, I took the bottle from his hand and firmly closed it.
“Are you sure that’s enough, Daddy?” he asked skeptically as he stirred the sprinkles into the batter.
Leaning over the bowl, I nodded. “More than enough.”
I turned away for a second to get the cookie sheet when I heard a quiet sucking noise. Turning around, I laughed at the chocolate smear beside Emmie’s mouth and the chocolaty finger still held up in the air. Seeing the messy finger make a return trip to the bowl , I snagged his hand before he could make contact.
“And I think that’s enough for you,” I said, reaching for a nearby towel. After wiping off his finger, I chased after his face as he squirmed away from me.
“Daddy!” He grimaced as I cleaned his face.
“There, all clean,” I said, dropping a kiss to the offended area.
Deciding his self-control around the batter was nonexistent, I took the bowl and quickly portioned the cookies onto the sheet before he could get his finger back into the batter. I popped them into the oven and set about cleaning up our mess.
Looking around for Emmie, I chuckled when I found him sitting on the floor in front of the oven with his legs splayed out behind him, his hands planted on the floor between his thighs, and his face glued to the little window. Reaching over, I flipped on the oven light so he could have a better view and left him to it.
Setting the timer, I approached Emmie and held it out in front of his face. Snatching it, he held it to his hand as he resumed his cookie watching. A few minutes later, I noticed Sprinkles sitting on the counter and added her to the cookie watching party.
The second the timer went off, Emmie reached for the oven.
“No,” I said, lunging for the door. I held the oven closed as he leaned away. “It’s too hot for you.”
With a pout, Emmie scooted back and let me take the cookies out. “They need a few minutes to cool,” I said, transferring the cookies to a wire rack. “How about you go pick out a movie for us to watch while I deal with this?”
“Okay,” he said, leaving the kitchen and the cookies reluctantly.
Placing two cookies on a small plate, I grabbed his freshly cleaned sippy cup and poured him some milk to accompany his dessert. Joining him in the living room, I placed everything on the coffee table and approached where he sat on the floor, going over my collection of old DVDs and VHS tapes.
“Did you find something, little darling?” I asked, crouching down by his side.
He picked up the DVD he’d placed at his side and handed it over.
“Perfect. I love this movie,” I said as I opened the case for The Princess Bride. “Go get comfortable on the couch while I get this set up. Your cookie’s waiting for you.”
With a happy squeal, Emmie jumped up and raced toward the couch. I popped the disk into the player and grabbed the various remotes. I turned the TV on and put it on the right input with one, turned the surround sound system on with another, and finally pressed play with the last.
Joining Emmie on the couch, I eyed the empty plate that had once held two cookies. “Did you eat both of them?” I asked, knowing it was my fault for not specifying how many cookies were for him.
“Uuuhhhhh.” Emmie held up a finger to tell me to wait and then exploded off the couch and raced toward the kitchen. Within seconds, he was back, shoving a cookie in my face. “Here you go, Daddy! Just for you.”
“Thank you, baby,” I said, taking the cookie from his hand. “A cookie monster must have taken mine.”
Emmie latched on to my excuse. “That’s right! He was big and green and kind of looked like a…a….a…a blob. Yes,” he said, nodding his head. “A blob. Big blobby. He stole your cookie.”
“Lay down, Emmie,” I ordered, with a chuckle.
“Yes, Daddy,” he replied, grateful the topic of my missing cookie was over.
Flopping over, he placed his head on my thigh and curled up with Sprinkles. “Is this okay?” he asked.
Placing my hand in his hair, I combed my fingers through his loose curls. “It’s perfect.”
Lifting my feet, I crossed my ankles on the coffee table and settled in with my cookie and my boy. Throughout the