August 30, 2006 by Barbara.

While playing last weekend, Ken thanked Reid for something and she said, “You’re welcome,” clear as anything. It surprised him as we haven’t been consciously coaching her on manners, just using our own. Reid has been using “please” consistently for quite a while but in the last week or so “thank you” and “you’re welcome” have been added to her vocabulary. Not that she has lost “a-huh” and “un-uh” which probably impress me more since I know that no one is trying to teach her those.

I don’t remember if I’ve written about how Reid has taken to labelling what she is doing, for example, she will run down the hall saying “running, running” or announce “sitting” as she sits down. At work I’ve been writing rules for multimedia and web sites and have said that such descriptions of the actions that are happening are required. It’s especially funny to hear Reid do it, too, given my work. Lately, her verb fascination with verbs has led to her saying “teeth-ing” when I hand her her toothbrush. (I guess she wouldn’t pluralize sisters-in-law correctly either ;+) I wish I’d taken more linguistics courses in university but they offered just the one at Guelph.

Posted in Language skills, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 30, 2006 by Barbara.

I was speaking with the head teacher for the toddler room yesterday about Reid’s language skills because one of the other teachers had told Ken that she doesn’t talk at daycare. Turns out she is a quiet child at daycare but has the words she needs and uses them when prompted but prefers to point or sign when she can. My mom says that my teachers said I was a quiet kid and she could never believe it. Maybe that is how Reid will be.

The teacher told me that when they have circle time, they sing a song that requires each child to say their name. Some kids won’t speak, others whisper but Reid yells hers out without hesitation.

It was a good thing that I wanted to speak with the teacher last night. When I arrived, Reid was playing in the preschoolers’ area which has bigger equipment. She ran over to say “hi” but then went for some more slides and then when I gave her a 2 minute warning ran across a bridge and shovelled and then decided she needed to hang from a chin up bar. I tell myself not to be offended because, really, how can I compete with a slide, sand and chin up bar? It’s great that she has fun, though.

Posted in Language skills, Daycare, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 29, 2006 by Barbara.

On Saturday afternoon, while homeless til the carpets dried, Reid and I went to visit Melissa and her family. Reid played with playdough with the big kids for a surprisingly long time. It was a glimpse of the future, maybe, with Melissa and I exchanging a few sentences at a time without needing to be constantly involved in what our kids were doing. Sarah and Stephen are big enough to help Reid out and Ben is absolutely fascinating from Reid’s perspective though the feeling is not reciprocated. :+) Reid and I went for what might be our last outdoor swim of the season. The air temperature was 23 and the pool was 26 but we only lasted about 10 minutes. Still, I won’t look out the kitchen window in the winter and wish we’d gone when we could.

On Sunday, Ken took Reid to the Museum of Science and Tech while I had some mama-time. They saw trains and rocket ships and a mirror that made Reid look one foot tall - quite a change when you’re as short as her, I guess.

Posted in Melissa and Peter, Daddy, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 24, 2006 by Barbara.

Ken was telling me yesterday about how Reid really likes to have her baby doll in the car with her as they travel to and from daycare. Of course, Baby has no clothes on because Reid takes the clothes off her dolls as soon as she is able.  Anyway, Ken told me that as he is driving he hears Reid say, “No. No! No” and then some other words and then some more “no’s”, lots of “no’s”, in fact.

Doesn’t she listen when we say “I love you” and “You’re such a clever girl” and “Good job” and all of those other nice things we say to her?

Posted in Daddy, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 23, 2006 by Barbara.

I may have discovered Reid’s next career - if the whole daycare attendee -thing falls through.

Last night after supper, Reid was looking in a bag of tights that I bought.  (Last year I was late shopping and had to have some special ordered and I wasn’t about to go through that again). She pulled out a pair of bright rainbow striped tights - think socks with toes in the the late 70s - and stripped off her shorts to have the tights put on RIGHT NOW. Well, once the tights were on, her shirt had to come off and she wandered about as “Rowdy Reidie”. If you haven’t watched pro wrestling, you might not have the image exactly but think of a small, round-bellied girl with tights that go nearly to her chest and have a teddy bear’s head on the bum. Soon we’ll teach her to do body slams and choke holds.

Oh, I should say that Reid would probably argue that she is not “small” and it’s true she seems to have gotten taller all of a sudden.

Edited to correct a particularly problematic spelling error and the category.

Posted in Career, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 22, 2006 by Barbara.

Tonight’s Reid report is a sort of book review.

I saw in a Children’s Book of the Month club flyer that Ian Falconer has written a new Olivia book and so picked it and another one up yesterday at lunch. Ken called dibs on reading them first and was eager to do so last night. Reid, on the other hand, was in the mood for old favorites - Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother too? by Eric Carle and her  Winnie the Pooh book that plays a song were brought out when Ken showed her Olivia Saves the Circus.  Finally, after supper, Reid decided she would sit with me while Ken read to us.

After all of the waiting and convincing, I asked Ken what he thought. Edwin the Cat didn’t appear in the book and so that was a disappointment for Reid’s cat-loving daddy. It’s still a good book, though. Olivia is her usual spunky, imaginative and somewhat outrageous self. Start with the first book, Olivia, but check out Olivia and the Missing Toy and then Olivia Saves the Circus.

Posted in Daddy, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 21, 2006 by Barbara.

I noticed this weekend that Reid calls herself “Reid-ey” (like Reid Elizabeth with an emphasis on the “e” or like Casey? Who knows?) Anyway, I wanted her to help me bake a cake and Ken needed to do something * without* her help and so I said “Who will dump the flour into the bowl?” To which she replied, “Reid-ey” and we went down the list of things that needed to be done that “Reid-ey” would do.

Last night at supper Reid was standing on a chair, facing backwards and touching stuff on the china cabinet. All of those things are against the rules, as she well knows and so I leaned across the table and said sternly, using my best mommy evil-eye to reinforce the point, “Sit down or get down”. Reid complied, for a while, and Ken laughed to himslef and said that we were in trouble when Reid realized that my evil eye wasn’t actually scary. After a bit, she stood up again and I repeated my “Sit down or get down” instruction. Not moving at all, Reid started singing a little song to herself consisting of “Sit down or get down” over and over. Maybe she has figured out my evil eye isn’t scary. This is the first time either Ken or I have heard her make up a song. (And, yes, I did get up and make her get down.)

Posted in Mama, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 18, 2006 by Barbara.

While petting Clio this morning I told her she needed to be brushed and asked her where her comb was. Reid looked at me and said “Bathroom” in a tone that made it clear that anyone with half a brain knew that we keep Clio’s comb in the bathroom. (Which we do but it’s not on the shelf where it belongs.y

I find this interesting because I’d never heard Reid say “bathroom” before and because I didn’t realize she paid attention to Clio’s comb.

Melissa noticed that Reid has many more words this week than last week. I guess they sneak up on me each day.

Posted in Clio, Cats, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

August 17, 2006 by Barbara.

Last night Ken and Reid were playing on the living room floor with Briana, Reid’s Cabbage Patch doll. Ken helped put on a cloth diaper (lovingly made by Grandma Joyce) and then Reid noticed another diaper on the floor. Ken asked, “Are you going to put the other one on?”. Reid promptly stripped off her shorts and underwear and handed the diaper to Ken. Now, Reid doesn’t have a big bum but it is bigger than that of her doll. When Daddy wouldn’t help, she carefully put the diaper on the floor and then  lay down with her bum over it and tried to do it up. Having trouble accomplishing the task, she imperiously said “Biper” to me but I was laughing and was of no help, though I did offer a pullup which was deemed unsuitable.

Next time, Ken will have to ask “Are yo going to put the other one on the doll?” or Reid will get a complex about her bum being too big.

Posted in Daddy, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »