Code Name "POP"
Lee was looking for a toy to distract JJ because her mother had left to go on an errand and she was inconsolable. In desperation he found the monkey pop up toy. Lee was still getting used to being the parent of a baby girl. Every time he thought he had it figured out the baby changed and the same old distractions didn't work anymore! At 8 months old, little Jennifer Joy had developed some very definite likes and dislikes. And right now she did not like her mother leaving her sight. Lee took the toy and came over and sat cross- legged in front of JJ who was in her swing-which used to placate her but not anymore!
"Look JJ...see Daddy has a fun toy!"
Lee was learning new things too about nursery rhymes and funny kids' songs. This pop up toy had the music and lyrics to an old childhood favorite. Lee started cranking the box and the music with a voice began to sing:
"All around the cobbler's bench the monkey
chased the weasel, the monkey that t'was all
in fun, POP goes the weasel!"
And as "POP" was sung, a monkey came up through the box. JJ stopped crying, astonished at the site!
"Oh you like that, little Bomber Princess?" Lee laughed.
The baby did a big sigh and attempted to start crying again, but Lee cranked the box again, and as the POP sounded off and the monkey came through the top, JJ began to giggle.
"I'm so glad you like this, but for the life of me I can't figure out why it is a monkey and not a weasel that pops up," pondered Lee.
JJ started to try to reach for the toy from where she sat with her arms out and legs kicking. After about 30 minutes Lee's arm was killing him from cranking the toy and JJ was laughing, but he didn't want to stop for fear of her crying again.
"When is your mom coming, home little one, so I can stop?" Lee said as he wearily continued. "She was just going on a diaper run!"
As on cue Amanda came rushing through the door.
"Thank God you're home!" Lee cried.
"I told you I would only be 30 minutes!"
"I've been cranking this thing for that long!" Lee pointed to the toy. Then out of the blue they noticed JJ was smiling at both of them and not demanding to be held by her mother.
Amanda cocked her head and said "Looks like you have everything under control!"as she stifled a laugh.
"That's amazing!" Lee was astonished.
JJ shrieked "P-P-P-PP-PPP"
"JJ that's Dad-dy," Mom-my Amanda pointed to Lee and then to herself.
"P-P-PP-P," JJ insisted.
Lee said to Amanda."You know what this reminds me of?"
"What?" Amanda sat down tired and proceeded to put her feet up. She was already 6 months pregnant with their second child.
" The weasel-faced man!"
"The weasel-faced man?" Amanda repeated.
"Yeah, remember when we first began working together, and you kept telling me about the weasel-faced man who took the top secret RV that was parked in your driveway?"
"Oh yeah, the weasel-faced man! But it's a monkey that comes out!"
"Yes that is weird...guess a weasel would scare a kid," admitted Lee.
"Well you know it has nothing to do with animals...it's a rhyme that has to do with a spinning wheel."
"It doesn't matter…JJ likes it!" Lee was proud that he had discovered something to help divert JJ from her tantrums.
So a new game was born and a favorite toy.
Whenever Lee would play with JJ, he would get the toy out and the baby would gurgle and squeal for the toy. "P-P-PP-P-ft"…she would make the sounds or try to.
Even when the toy was not around and she would see her dad she would gurgle and go "P-PP-P_PP!"
"No JJ, say 'maaa mmmaaa daa daaaa'" Amanda and Lee encouraged.
It was not until one day when JJ was 12 months old that they finally understood what JJ meant with the "PP-P-Pft" sound. Amanda had JJ in her high chair and Mattie was in her swing sleeping while she was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Lee walked through the door after coming home from the agency and JJ got all excited and reached for Lee and said "POP POP!"
Lee and Amanda both looked amazed and then doubtful.
"Was she calling you 'POP POP'?"
"I dunno...I thought that was her toy," Lee said.
He picked up JJ and said "Where's POP POP?"
JJ looked at Lee and smacked her hand on his face.
"I'm POP POP?" he asked, puzzled.
"POP POP," JJ cried.
"I'm POP POP?" he repeated.
Amanda went to find the pop up box and cranked the box and when the monkey came out, JJ said "Mmkey!"
Amanda repeated "Where's POP-POP?"
JJ giggled and hit Lee in the face again!
"It looks like our daughter has been trying to tell us you are POP POP!"
Lee groaned "But I'm daddy!"
Amanda laughed. "Clearly you are POP POP! And believe me when a child decides that's your name there is no getting around it! Philip called my mother DoDo the first 3 years of his life. Thankfully he grew out of that. My mother was not happy being called a bowel movement and you should be happy she didn't change POP to POOP!"
Lee shrugged. "Ok, I'm POP POP," as he gave his daughter a sloppy Zerbert kiss that made a farting sound on her cheek. JJ giggled and tried to do the same back to her Papa but instead just left a bunch of slobber on his cheek. Lee tilted his head back and laughed as he lifted JJ high into the air.
Eventually as Jennifer got older, POP POP evolved into "Papa." Mattie continued the tradition with the pop up game but her name for Lee emerged as POPPY. Then, as with JJ, she made her preference "Papa." POPPY became the special endearment from the sisters when showing affection for their Papa.