Archive for July, 2007

A left, then right …

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

On the way to Upper Canada Village, Reid and I were talking about which turns we would take. Reid is very interested in the directions from one place to another. There is a series of quick turns – a left and then quick right and then a straight bit and then a right and a left. As we discussed the turns Reid said, “That’s two rights and two lefts.” I was very impressed with her math skills. Next I asked how many turns we’d be making in total? Reid’s quick and confident answer was, “Five.” Maybe she isn’t a math prodigy but I think she is pretty darn smart.

Playing with dollies and singing out loud

Tuesday, July 17th, 2007

At supper, Reid asked what we were going to do after supper. I asked what she wanted to do and she said that she wanted to go “some bery far away, like Daddy’s work.” Ken suggested that Reid and I could go to Dairy Queen for ice cream. And bring him an banana split, of course. 

After supper, I (selfishly) wanted to use the bathroom alone. I went upstairs as Reid protested loudly and with great enthusiasm. Ken later told me that she was saying, “I like to watch!” I’ve always suspected that about her. Reid followed me upstairs and sat outside the closed door and wailed. I had privacy, yes, but neither peace nor quiet. As we went back downstairs, I offered to carry Reid but she gave me a “I’m punishing you” look and said, “No.” I started down the stairs and Reid realized the flaw in her plan. Everyone has to learn about not cutting off your nose to spite your face, eh?

After a bit, I ran up to get Reid some clothes to wear out and she followed me. She was rocking on the Curious George rocking toy that I “loved” the eyes off of when I was a child and having a great time. I asked her if she would rather play with her dollies in her room than go out for ice cream. Of course, she said she wanted to do both but I told her she had to choose. She said she wanted to stay and so she played with her dollies and I sorted through her chest of drawers. That kid has many shirts and no small number of pairs of pants, in her size and the size she’ll grow into. It’s good that I did this, I found a couple of summer shirts that had eluded me when I got out her summer clothes. Grandma Joyce has mentioned the existence of some freshly sewn pants and so Reid is all set for fall and winter clothes. And I thought I might need to hit a Target when we were in Chicago! (I can hear Ken’s groan when he reads this – the very thought of more clothes will make him groan ;+)

Once Ken had finished cleaning up from supper, he joined us in Reid’s room. At one point, e offered his assistance to Reid as she struggled to put shoes on one of the dolls. She assured him that the shoes were too small for that particular doll. I was allowed to try, though, and as I accomplished the impossible, Ken protested that *he* could have done so. I’d have liked to have seen his big man hands working on the fiddly little shoes. He is much more dextrous than I am; it’s the contrast that appeals to me. Ken’s hands look very much like my dad’s. I love to look at them at anytime, come to think of it.

Reid took advantage of this time together to serenade us with a song of her own devising. She sang loudly and happily. Ken said he was sure the teenage boy in the next townhouse, the one who listens to loud bass music quite early  and all through the day, appreciated her volume. (But we don’t complain about him since he respects the usual quiet hours and we’re able to sleep, unlike our neighbour on the other side.)

All was well, swell even, until I gave a 3 minute warning and Reid asked to go out for ice cream. When I reminded her that she’d chosen to stay home and play, she told me, “I choosed two.” I agreed that choosing both would have been nice but that wasn’t the deal and it was time for bed. Reid said, “Let’s go sleep.” She ran to the other end of the room, stretched out on the carpet for at least 5 nanoseconds and jumped up with a “I no tired.” What a scammer. As I finished getting ready to put her to sleep, she climbed into the armchair, stood on her head and wailed. She knocked the pajamas that had been sitting on the arm of the chair to the floor and looked around for something else to take a swipe at. Ken said that when she noticed the box with too-small clothes in and on it, her eyes lit up. He choked back a laugh, which caught my attention, and I noticed what she was doing in time to intervene. What a kid. What a man.

There was a bit of storm still in her but eventually Reid fell asleep. This morning, Reid asked about going for ice cream before she was even out of bed but she didn’t mention it tonight. We reminisced about the fun of playing with dollies in her room without any mention of the troubles. We’ll do it again, I’m sure.

The thumb is for you

Monday, July 16th, 2007

We’ve been counting things with Reid lately, especially pointing to fingers as we count. I read somewhere that kids need to make a link between something concrete and the numbers that they are saying. Reid seems to have made a link but this link is directly tied to particular fingers.

This morning, Reid and I were “sharing” cereal, which is to say that she wanted to eat my Bran Flakes while I pretended to eat her iron-filled, cardboard Nutrios. Reid was also mooching instant oatmeal from her dad and so I asked for my cereal back. She held up a finger and I asked if that meant she would be taking one more bite. Instead Reid switched her hand to hold up all four fingers and her thumb and said, “The thumb is for you.” She then folded down the appropriate fingers with each of her next four bites. Each finger on the hand that was also supposed to be holding onto her spoon, that is. Reid met my suggestion that she count on the fingers of the other hand with a look of “stop that crazy talk” and she continued eating. Apparently only the right thumb was for me. Who knows who the left thumb was for!

I feel, I feel, I feel

Monday, July 16th, 2007

On Saturday morning, we encountered a fly at breakfast and so I sang the “Shoo Fly” song. Until our most recent Kindermusik session, I knew only the “Shoo fly, don’t bother me” line. We learned the full song:

Shoo fly, don’t bother me
Shoo fly, don’t bother me
Shoo fly, don’t bother me
For I belong to somebody

I feel, I feel, I feel
I feel, I feel, I feel
I feel like a morning star
I feel, I feel, I feel
I feel, I feel, I feel
I feel like a morning star

Reid smiled and sang along. Every time Reid saw a fly, and several times when she didn’t, Reid sang the “I feel, I feel, I feel” lines over and over. She never got to the “like a morning star.” When there was actually a fly, she’d say, “go bug” but she didn’t sing the shoo fly lines, either. I tried a few times to get her to sing the full song or at least the part about the star in the second verse. Such attempts were rejected outright.

Not only do I have to deal with the songs that get stuck in my head, it seems I have to hear the ones that are stuck in Reid’s head, too.

Rotating the books

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

I try to rotate the books that we’re reading, really I do. I haven’t been doing as good a job as I should’ve, I guess, based on the scene that played out at Reid’s bedtime or Monday night.

First, Ken read Biscuit Loves Father’s Day. I had high hopes for this one since he’d begun by commenting about it’s nice that dads are in Father’s Day books, unlike in many of the other books we own. Now that I think of it, he did say something about the Father’s Day books being more about the kids than the dads but I didn’t consider it a real problem. Until Ken started reading the book aloud. He read about “Bisquick” who says “Meow! Meow!” in the places that Biscuit says, “Woof! Woof!” I didn’t pick up on the switch the first time. Reid didn’t object until the little girl was calling Bisquick a nice kitty and then she objected to such foolishness.

I offered Go, Dog. Go! as the second book but Reid said, “no” and Ken expressed approval of the decision. I thought he liked that book – maybe he used to. Instead, I passed him *The Mitt* by Jan Brett. I knew from his sarcastic, “oh, great” that we were in trouble. He pointed out the intricate designs surrounding the main picture saying, “These are the illustrations that mamas like.” Naturally enough, Reid asked, “And daddies.” Of course, Ken said daddies didn’t like them. Next he pointed out how the next animal to enter the story was featured in the miniature illustration of each page. Finally his comments were making both Ken and I laugh so much that Reid had to resort to a smiling, but firm, “Stop it, Daddy!” to get him back under control.

I’ve since measured the book shelves we have devoted to Reid’s books. There are approximately 9 linear feet of bookshelf dedicated to Reid’s books. This doesn’t include the 13 books in her backpack of the various volumes scattered around the house. I haven’t counted the 33 we currently signed out from the library. In short, we have many books but apparently not enough of them.

Thank goodness for the library, I say. I’ve a book with recommendations of authors and books that I need to use to order books from the library. It’s hard to choose kids’ books based on their spines. With Reid, especially, it can be a mad grab of books from shelves before she finds another bright, appealing book in another area. When I’m on my own, even, I’m impatient. Often I choose several books by the same author since they’re all together in one place. This falls apart when the authors tend to repetition. For example, “Franklin could count by two’s and tie his shoes.” gets old rather quickly. But not for Reid, of course.

I read the last stories of the day and find that it’s comforting to read a familiar story. I think it’s like spending time with an old friend while settling down. Okay, maybe part of it is that familiar books lead to fewer questions and less discussion – normally good things but not so much so at bedtime.

Girlie girl

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

I picked up a plastic “Birthday girl” tiara yesterday at Claire’s. They had feather boas, tutus and other baubles in the area that I thought Reid would love to play with. They reminded me of the princess dresses that she dressed up in when we went to visit some friends who have a four year-old daughter. When I expressed surprise that Reid was choosing the fancy dresses, Jennifer asked if I had philosophical objections to them. Apparently she has a friend who doesn’t put her daughter in dresses or give her dolls or anything “girly”. When the girl visits, she heads right for the dress up box and becomes a princess or Pochahantas or something.

We have a few animal costumes but no princess ones. Reid doesn’t ask to wear her dresses and so I hadn’t thought of them. It’s not a political thing although if I’m not careful, it could be. But I’m careful. I guess it’s time to add a princess outfit to Reid’s present wish list. And way past time to get rid of some of her other toys to make room. Just ask Ken!

Reid liked the tiara, by the way, for *me* to wear. The comb-like bits designed to hold the tiara in place were deemed to be too likely to hurt for Reid to even try it on. Now to convince the clerk to take it back …

Cookies

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

Reid and I are going to Chicago at the end of the month so that I can attend the BlogHer conference. In talking about the unexpected expense, I said that maybe Grandma Joyce would bake us some cookies so that I won’t have to buy treats. Ken immediately said, “She should bake cookies for me! She could send them in the mail.” He is, afterall, missing out on a trip to the city that is home to his beloved Bears. I know they’re not playing yet but if he were involved in planning a trip to Chicago it would definitely be for a time when we could go to a football game – or maybe just he would go. Reid and I talk during sporting events. Actually, we talk pretty much whenever ;+)

If you’re talking to Grandma Joyce, I like snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies. Ken prefers oatmeal raisin and *her* ginger cookies (not the ones I make) but mostly he likes oatmeal raisin.

Cookies

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

Reid and I are going to Chicago at the end of the month so that I can attend the BlogHer conference. In talking about the unexpected expense, I said that maybe Grandma Joyce would bake us some cookies so that I won’t have to buy treats. Ken immediately said, “She should bake cookies for me! She could send them in the mail.” He is, afterall, missing out on a trip to the city that is home to his beloved Bears. I know they’re not playing yet but if he were involved in planning a trip to Chicago it would definitely be for a time when we could go to a football game – or maybe just he would go. Reid and I talk during sporting events. Actually, we talk pretty much whenever ;+)

If you’re talking to Grandma Joyce, I like snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies. Ken prefers oatmeal raisin and *her* ginger cookies (not the ones I make) but mostly he likes oatmeal raisin.

Gender roles according to Reid

Thursday, July 12th, 2007

Reid saw a drawing of a baby with a Blackberry in the Today’s Parent that I was reading last night. She grinned and asked what the baby was doing. Instead of answering her question, I asked her what the baby was holding and she said it was a Blackberry but that only mamas were supposed to use Blackberries. I asked if daddies could use them, too. “Not daddies,” she giggled. “Just mamas.” What a silly woman I am!

Gymnastics rocks!

Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

Reid had her first gymnastics class last night. She had been interested but a bit reserved when we talked about it. Once we were at the gym, though, she became more and more eager. We watched the kids in the earlier class finish and, by the time it was our turn, Reid was nearly vibrating with excitement.

The class started with stretching and warming up activities. We ran and hopped like kangaroos and then “froze” into stars or balls or tunnels. We stretched various body parts and sang some songs, too. Reid didn’t want to do a couple of the stretches but I’ll try to get her to try them at home. She kept a smile on her face and in her eyes throughout.

There was a circuit of activities to complete, too. Reid walked up a wall to do a handstand, or at least she gave it a really good try. In an unmistakable tribute to my sense of self in space, the first couple of times she tried to set herself up with her head closest to the wall instead of her bottom. I’m not sure that I put the hand prints that were to be her guide the proper distance from the wall but with a little help from me, she was able to do her handstand. And she was proud of herself! She held onto a climbing pole and then slid down it without complication and then climbed a ladder to a platform and jumped onto a fluffy pad. Being a cautious sort of kid – sometimes – she insisted on holding one of my hands for this big jump. Being Reid, a kid who will climb anything, she clamored up the closely spaced rungs of the second ladder and back down them with ease. I think it must be designed to work on dexterity. Maybe Reid’s spatial issues are only for upside down tasks. There was a mat that was right about the height of Reid’s knees that she had to step up onto without using her hands. I was impressed with her arms at the handstand station but wow! She has strong legs and good balance. The last station was a nylon tunnel to climb through and then we started over. Reid couldn’t believe that she got to do the activities again and again. What a great place gymnastics was!

But wait, there was more. After about 10 minutes, we went to the balance beams. As soon as we got near, Reid tried scurrying for the beam but the teacher had us sit on the floor for instructions. The teacher said that the kids are sometimes timid and so at first they just climbed onto the beam and hopped off. After doing that a few times, they walked along with greater or lesser success. Reid has been walking along the curb at daycare for ages and so was pretty good at walking on the beam. She lacks confidence but I spotted her only slightly.

At last it was time for our class to go the trampolines. The kids were told to hop along the long trampoline to which we were led. Reid hopped on the spot as we waited. She managed a hop as soon as she got on the trampoline but the forward momentum soon led her to a sort of run-hop. The teacher gently encouraged her to stop and start hopping again. Reid hopped more times on each turn. She loved each turn, hopping or not.

We finished up in the foam pit – a pit with 1 foot cubes of foam. Reid sort of swam over the top of the cubes but I sank much deeper. I wonder why ;+)

As we left, Reid was asking when she got to go again. I’m hoping that it’s much less hot and humid next week since there was no air conditioning. Her enthusiasm made it a good experience for me but I’d have taken A/C. What a whiner, eh?