It's not a competition. Except that it is.

For the last week or so, every day when I come home from work Cody asks me, "Dad, did you finish writing your book?" And every day I sadly inform him that no, I have not finished it, and that I probably won't finish it until Christmas.

On Tuesday, the exchange took a slightly different form:

CJP: Hi Daddy! Did you finish writing your book?

JVL: No buddy, I didn't. It's going to take me all year to finish it. I'll finish writing it just around Christmas time.

CJP: Bidi finished writing her book!

JVL: She did? I'm so glad! I'm proud of Bidi. Writing a book is really hard. That's why it's taking me a long time.

CJP: Yes. It was really hard for her to write it. Because she doesn't really have arms. But she did it anyway!

JVL: [hangs head in shame]