August 10, 2007 by Barbara.

Reid and the other Juniors at daycare must have been learning to count to 20 lately. A couple of times in the last week she has counted aloud past 10. She consistently gets 11 and 12 in their proper places and then says some but not all of the numbers 13 through 19 and in a somewhat random order. My favourite, though, is “eleventeen”. This number is very close to 20. It comes up most times Reid counts higher than 12. It will be interesting to see how long it persists.

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August 10, 2007 by Barbara.

As we drove to Melissa’s Thursday night, I was telling Reid about our big day.

Me: You’ll go to daycare in the morning and then Daddy and Mama will get you at lunchtime. Then, Mama and Reid will take a train to go see Grandma Joyce and your uncles and aunts and cousins.
Reid: Um-huh. [Pause] Why we no drive?
Me: Daddy needs the car to get to and from work while we’re away. Plus, the train is WAY MORE FUN. [Maybe trying too hard but I was worried.]
Reid: I no like the train!
Me: If we drive, I’ll have to stay in the front in my seat and you’ll have to stay in your seat.
Reid: Let’s take Daddy to work and then we drive ourselves.

It would have been a good solution if only Ken had a bed at his office. There is a kitchen and a shower, you know. He’d have to stay outside from 6 pm til 8 am each night but I’m sure he’d want to do that for Reid. Too bad about the lack of bed.

Reid mentioned again this morning that she didn’t like the train but she didn’t make a scene. We’re nearly 3 hours into our trip, she has been good so far. We ate lunch, napped more than an hour and coloured a bit. Then, I offered up videos and she’s been entranced since then.

The train is full. Reid and I snagged a 4 seater and are sharing it with two young women (18 and early 20s). They haven’t said much and don’t take up much of our floor space and so we’re all good. I bought Reid a chocolate milk when the snack cart first came by after lunch. When the lady asked if we needed anything, Reid said, “I’m firsty,” in a pathetic little voice. What could I do? When the lady came back, I asked for chips. Reid likes them and I was craving the salt. I wonder if Reid knew I was treating me and not just me.

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August 10, 2007 by Barbara.

On Tuesdays, we try and get Reid to eat her supper - or most of it - in the car before gymnastics. When we get home it’s such a rush for us to eat and then to get Reid to bed. Sometimes she just prefers to play or fuss a bit. This week I asked Ken to bathe Reid while I prepared supper. Yes, I know this is just the sort of night I should use my crockpot or something from the freezer but I don’t seem to be that organized.

In any case, on this particular Tuesday Reid ate veggies and a sandwich before class and was eager to join us at the table after her bath. She seemed amused to be wearing her pajamas at the supper table although - or because - she also wears them at breakfast. Reid served herself potatoes (which she usually refuses), corn and chicken-meat and began eating. She tried some chili sauce on her potatoes and chicken, just like Daddy. She chatted and ate and then decided to use the bathrooom. She came back to the table and ate some more before declaring herself full. Ken practically ripped her plate away, or he would have if she hadn’t decided to eat a bit more.

Poor Ken needed to get the dining room and kitchen tidied up, the garbage out and laundry started. He also likes to be around to get Reid into bed and, when the planets align, have a little downtime before bed. Reid ate pretty much every kernel of corn, every speck of potatoes but oh, so, slowly. She wasn’t deliberately torturing Ken but the effect was the same. Goes to show you how you can’t rush a kid any more than you can herd cats. And with our kid, who has learned so much from our cats, it truly is an impossible task.

Posted in Food, Cats, Daddy, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »