November 29, 2006 by Barbara.

After I read an email from Melissa yesterday about how excited Dylan is about all things Christmas, I decided that we should decorate, too, even though we won’t be at home for the big day. Reid hasn’t expressed any interest in Christmas other than a mild interest to see - but not sit with - Santa at the mall and Ken and I have trouble keeping up with the housework even without decorations. In any case, we’ll decorate a bit. I went to the basement and brought up some Christmas books, a Santa hat and three puppets. I had put the puppets into a cloth gift bag and Reid pulled them out one at a time. She would look at the puppet, identify it by name, try it on and play a bit and then hand it to one of us before getting another one out. She knew the snowman and Santa on sight but labelled the reindeer as a “dog”. Ken laughed at me correcting her and started barking and talking about the dog. He said (and he was right) that it looks like a dog - except for the little stuffed antlers and red pom-pom on the nose - and he knows I want her to call it a reindeer. I remember Mom and Dad telling me not to show when something bugs me but I can’t hide much from Ken. Reid, Ken and I will have to have fun playing with Santa, Frosty and the red-nosed Christmas dog ;+)

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November 28, 2006 by Barbara.

I took Reid to Loblaws to get her photo taken on Sunday. We had “danced” with her Christmas dress which has bells in the hem that jingle when it twirls a few times but Reid hadn’t actually put it on. So, there we were in the women’s bathroom, with me saying a little prayer that the dress would fit. Reid was standing on the baby changing table that faces the mirror. As soon as she saw the dress on her, her face lit up and she smiled as if to say, “I *am* a Christmas princess.”. It was magical. Reid had refused to wear both her tights and ruby slippers and so when she asked to walk, I reminded her that she had no shoes. She didn’t miss a beat and replied, “Boots, Mama.”. There she was walking though the grocery store in her Christmas dress and blue and red rubber boots attracting lots of smiles. As for me, I was just glad that she hadn’t wanted to wear her *pink* princess boots. After the night of much-broken sleep, I don’t know if I could have handled the clashing colours ;+)

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November 23, 2006 by Barbara.

Reid is losing many of the babyisms in her speech. Today in the tub she was playing with her mama ducks that has 3 little ducks to ride on its back and I asked her what ducks say. When she replied, “duck, duck” I thought of how this is one of her few mixed up words. She rarely calls sheep “baas” anymore and never speaks of the “moos” in the books that we read.

Not long ago, while chatting about Melissa’s family and who was the sister, mama, etc on our way to supper, I asked Reid what my name was, expecting to hear “Mama.” Instead, she said, “Babwa” and so I told her, “but you call me ‘Mama’, right?” And she nodded. I asked her what daddy’s name was and she said “Ten”. (I didn’t say that she has mastered the hard “c” sound.) I reminded her that she should call him, “Daddy” and again she nodded. I should have said, “But you already knew that,” since she obviously had known our names for a while but hadn’t used them.

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November 23, 2006 by Barbara.

Some of you will know that I am obsessing a bit about finding a train set for Reid for Christmas. She loves to play with the trains at Chapters, especially the yellow one. Since I have trouble going to Chapters without buying anything, and really how often can we go, I want to get her some trains of her own. I was asking Karen at daycare if they have a train and does Reid play with it. Karen said that Reid will play with the train, trucks and cars sometimes but that she mostly plays in the “house” area. This part of the room always has babies and dollies and then also has a rotation of kitchen equipment, grocery shopping stuff, baby bath tubs, etc. I mentioned that Reid hasn’t been playing with her babies and dollies at home as much lately and Karen asked if we had bottles and doll beds, and that sort of thing. We have blankets and doll clothes but no furniture. I can’t quite get my head around bottles. I nursed Reid and I guess I think she can do the same for her babies. (Oh come on, you all know I’m a bit of a radical when it comes to nursing. :+)

When Amanda came for dinner as she usually does on Tuesdays, I described my conversation to her. I can’t remember if I told her before or after she convinced Reid that the naked dollies were cold and they set to work finding clothes and diapers. It’s good that Reid has a woman without the psychological baggage I have to play with dolls with her. I keep hearing Nancy White’s song that says, “daughters of feminists like to wear pink, frilly dresses and play with their Barbies all day.” I’m up to the challenge, though. I can do it!

If anyone is speaking with Santa, Reid would like doll accessories for Christmas.

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November 22, 2006 by Barbara.

Monday night was a crazy night. I was a bit delayed at work and then the talk that I had planned to attend at 7:00 or 7:30 turned out to be starting at 6:00. I’m so glad that I wasn’t sure when it started or I wouldn’t have checked at 6:15 for the time. I left the house about 6:35 and arrived 50 minutes late. Fortunately for me, is was still “mingling time”. I found a table with a fellow I used to work with and thought the two speakers were interesting. When I got home, the house was quiet and I wondered if Reid actually went to sleep for Ken. Alas, when I went in to check on them, Ken was stretched out in the rocker-recliner and Reid was laying on him reading a book. He said she didn’t fuss but wasn’t showing any inclination to go to sleep. It keeps me on a short leash for a while but all too soon, it’ll be me at home and Reid going out so I think I can handle it.

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November 22, 2006 by Barbara.

I have picked Reid up from daycare each evening since last Thursday. While we sit in the car as she nurses, she likes to play pat-a-cake with our free hands. Since this keeps her from playing flailing boot - a made-up game that can cause damage to me and to the car while Reid giggles and moves her leg - I am willing to play along. She has started saying some of the words but since last week has insisted that all the cakes be marked with “d” and be “put in the oven for Daddy and Reid.” Okay, she doesn’t object if say “mark it with an ‘m’” but I and everyone else I have suggested are not allowed share in the cake.

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November 21, 2006 by Barbara.

On Thursday, we were leaving Melissa and Peter’s a bit early and as I was putting Reid into her “I love Dad” pj’s I had an idea -  I made a deal with Reid: if she got ready quickly, I would take her to see Daddy’s museum. Never has Reid moved so quickly or got dressed so cooperatively!  The Commissionaire had a big smile for Reid as she walked through the door to the drill hall and on towards the Cameron’s museum with such enthusiasm and purpose. I followed along and we made it inside the museum without Ken seeing us. Chris and Gerry, former Camerons, were in there,too and Reid was a bit shy. Still, she looked around, tried on a “tin lid” (metal helmet) and played with Ken’s broom.  I’m glad Ken has the museum as a place where he can go and have a life separate from Reid and me but it is fun to take a peek at that part of his life sometimes, too.

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November 21, 2006 by Barbara.

Little Baby Cough-Cough is once again living at our house, or at least that is what we call Reid when she has a cold. Luckily for her, when she has a runny nose we don’t assign a similarly colourful nickname.

When Reid was new, it was scary to see how a cough took over her whole body.  Now that she is more than three times as big, her coughs still shake her whole body and it still bugs me to see her cough. On Sunday, Reid’s coughing woke her after only an hour and fifteen minutes of napping. I was pretty sure *I* could have gotten back to sleep but Reid was equally sure that she couldn’t. We skipped a planned swimming trip in favour of a bubble bath to stay warmer and get more steam. There were so many bubbles that they would have reached her eye brows while she was sitting in the tub. She managed a good 45 minutes in the humid bathroom and was better. I guess it is the time of year to dig out and clean up the humidifier. Okay, in all honesty the humidifier is sitting on my night table from the last time Reid was sick this past winter but I do need to clean it.

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November 20, 2006 by Barbara.

On Saturday, Reid and I went for supper at Melissa’s house. Peter was away and the kids were watching a video and so Reid, Melissa and I sat at the table and Reid played with some Christmas shapes sticky foamies. It wasn’t long before Melissa and I were “helping” her. I am not sure what the cost difference is between the self-adhesive ones and those that require glue to stick but the convenience and tidiness of not needing glue is worth quite a bit to me. After supper, we took the kids to Place d’Orleans to see Santa arrive. There was quite a crowd but we were lucky enough to get a place on the stairs overlooking the stage. I should say Reid was especially lucky since she got to stand next to Ben, who is, as you may know, something of a celebrity in Reid’s world. Reid was glad to see Santa when he arrived but the line was so long we never even considered trying to see him.

On Sunday morning after breakfast, we went back to the St Laurent Mall to pick up the Santa picture. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Reid asked, “Santa?” and so I agree that it was the same place that we’d seen Santa and asked if she wanted to go see him again. She said she did. We got our photo first and then headed to Santa’s throne. For the record, I actually look good in the photo (not usual), Santa looks good (not surprisingly) and Reid looks like she is imploring the photographer to get her out of there (not surprisingly, again, given our history of photos with Santa). I have not yet given up. We’ll continue the desensitization training with a couple of Christmas parties - thanks to our museum memberships - and maybe a trip or two my the mall Santas and who knows, maybe she will smile in a picture with Santa yet this year.

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November 20, 2006 by Barbara.

Reid and I went to Costco on our way to Melissa’s this afternoon to return a couple of outfits that I picked up last week. In the way of things, one outfit was too big and the other too small although they were both labelled XL. I also needed to buy stamps for Christmas cards which meant I had to go by the toys and books - okay, I didn’t have to but I did. We resisted the toys and books but did buy a gingerbread house kit, some fruit jellies and chocolates. Oh, to show I am not opposed to foods that don’t have added sugar, I also got some salad, pre-cut veggies and peppers. Reid was excited by the yellow peppers (for obvious reasons ;+) As we walked toward the checkout, I showed Reid a nice red fleece jacket and asked her if she thought it suited me. Without hesitation, she said, “no” and so I put it back. I hate it when people ask my opinion and then ignore it. I actually don’t mind not being consulted but figure if I’m invited to comment, then people should listen to my advice. I try to keep a balance in my kharmic force by doing unto others and all that.

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