Papa's Number 1

I can't clearly recall how this started. Just that a few months back, Steve taught Will to say, "Papa's number 1" on command. At first, that was all he taught him.

Every time he'd kiss Will goodnight, hand him something, pick him up, Steve would say, "And Papa's number 1!" And Will would repeat it.

After a week or two of it, I piped in with, "Well, if Papa's number 1, what is Moma?"

Will's, "Mama's number 1," was overshadowed by Steve's, "Mama's number 2."

It took about a week before Will would consistantly place me in the number two position. After that, I would have to be very sneaky, and quick, to get the occasional "Mama's number 1" out of him. And he usually, immediately, took it back with "No, Papa's number 1, Moma's number 2."

Today, Will and I were writing with chaulk on the driveway and we wrote all out names in giant letters. Right before we went back in the house, I wrote "is number 1" under my name. Will asked me what it said and I told him.

He went balistic on me. I tried to explain it was just a joke for his father, but Will went over and erased the number 1 from under my name. Then on his own, with no prior practise, he wrote a number 2 under my name -- it was backwards, but you could tell what it was. Then he went and put a very legible number 1 under his Papa's name.

In this house, Papa is definately number 1.