July 13, 2009 by Barbara.

Whenever we’ve travelled with Dylan, he has put on whatever clothes we’ve given him. Reid is an entirely different kind of kid. This morning, for instance, I chose a pair of capris and a t-shirt for Reid for her first day of Kinderfarm camp at the Canada Agriculture Museum. She refused the outfit and went to her closet to choose a dress. I had to exclude “princess dresses” (meaning the ones with tulle, etc.) and said she needed a play dress. Reid’s first choice was an ankle-length dress, complete with wiffle, and I said “no” and redirected her to the cotton dresses. She chose one and added a wine-coloured shoulder-length cape that has white faux fur around the hood. She added the capris that I’d originally proposed - they were made of the same material as the dress.

When Reid came downstairs from dressing, everyone was awestruck, or maybe dumbfounded. I suggested that she’d need a jacket but she was sure the cape would suffice. Melissa came to my defence and said Dylan would have to wear a jacket. I left before they worked it out. Melissa may have talked Reid out of the cape before they left for Kinderfarm camp. If not, I bet she’ll have been the only one in faux fur ;+)

Updated to add Melissa’s comments:

Reid wore the cape to register and then we saw a sign that said the kids need hats…so I asked if she was just going to use her cape or Hoody ORRRR if she wanted to wear my hat that I had packed (a girly version of a baseball cap) and she chose my hat.  For those of you who haven’t been around the Reid/Dylan combination lately, they have to one-up eachother occasionally, sooooo this morning Dylan begged me to wear my hat to Kinderfarm camp!!!  Again. Very girly….but we talked him into Spiderman instead…… 

The kids got their Kinderfarm camp shirts today so we’ll have to get a good photo of them in those to share! 

Also, being a mom of 2 boys, it’s nice to see a girl who wants to express her femininity.  Reid really likes to prance and dance (vs. running full tilt like our boys) and a dress like the one she wore the first day of camp ACCENTUATES the dance moves very well!  Perhaps she is aware of this and that is why she chose it…..to show off her MOVES!! Roy called her Paula Abdul, which is a bit out of date, but I suppose is FARRRR better than calling her Britney (EUCH!!)  LOL! 

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November 12, 2008 by Barbara.

Before Ken left, I joked that maybe I’d get Reid’s hair cut as a “welcome home” present for him. His response was, or was something close to, “Please do.” We’ve been discussing - maybe “discussing” is too mild a term - Reid’s hair since she was months old. I’ve been putting ponytails in Reid’s hair since she was 6 months old and she has been crying or fussing during the process ever since. Ken takes her tears to heart whereas I think of them as normal for a girl getting her hair done. I’m sure that means I’m evil or tricked by the fashion industry to accept pain for the sake of beauty but that’s what I think

In any case, when Reid asked to get her hair cut when we were in Niagara Falls, I agreed. When she changed her mind, I said that was “okay” also. When Reid asked again about a haircut last Friday, I agreed and mentally delegated the task to Aunt Karin and Uncle Roger. I was afraid that I’d cry when the stylist cut off Reid’s braid and that would be an especially bad thing to do to a girl who has a bit of a phobia about her haid (see above ;+) I duly made an appointment at the Melon Head’s hair salon for kids and Aunt Karin and Uncle Roger took Reid while I cleaned my house - or at least worked at cleaning my house - in anticipation of Ken’s return.

Uncle Roger took some pictures of the process. In most Reid’s eyes are looking off in space but she is, in fact, watching one of the televisions hanging from the ceiling. It wasn’t a stressful experience for her at all. Aunt Karin said that *she* had tears in her eyes when Reid’s ponytail was cut off but Reid shook her head to feel how light it was without the 10-12 inches the lady was holding. The stylist was a bit worried once she realized that she had cut Reid’s hair in the presence of an aunt and uncle and not Reid’s parents. It was too late to fix the situation by that point but I wonder if she asked the adults who accompanied the next child if one of them was the parent.

Two of the other stylists braided Reid’s hair - or the hair that had been Reid’s - to donate to Angel Hair, one of the charities that makes wigs for people who have lost their hair due to cancer. Aunt Karin said there was a moment when it looked like was going to protest not being allowed to take her hair home but it passed and she is now proud to have shared her hair with a child who needed it.

Reid’s hair is now cut to her chin. I told her that was the choice: as was or chin-length. She talked about cheek-length, as in cut even with her cheek bone but I vetoed that. Even Ken would have thought that a bit drastic. It seems Reid has a bit of her dad’s curls in her hair - not a curl exactly but body at the back - I remember that it was there when she was wee little and had hair this short but I’d forgotten. Washing and combing Reid’s hair is a dream at this length but I think she’ll protest more about the combing as her memories of having long hair fade. For right now, I remind her how much better it is and she stops complaining. I miss the braids but I guess I can always do my own hair. (But I probably won’t.)

Now for the reveal…

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November 2, 2008 by Barbara.

Normally, I think that people shouldn’t be allowed to discuss Christmas before Halloween but the topic has already come up a few times at our house.

Reid was caressing her Christmas gown last Wednesday morning - it really is more a gown than a simple dress, it’s that beautiful and Grandma Joyce is that talented - and she asked when it would be Christmas. I told her that she’d have to wait 2 months for Christmas. Her shoulders slumped. I added that she’d be able to wear her dress for pictures this month and Reid perked up. She stared at the dress for a few more seconds and then noted that it lacked a belt. I pointed out the sash of the dress but Reid thought it needed a belt. I also demonstrated the jingle bell in the hem that would further accessorize the outfit but Reid remained firm on the need for a belt. To be precise, she thought it needed her pink, shiny plastic belt with a large heart-shapde buckle that is studded with pink rhinestones. Since I was hoping to leave the house without tears (on her part or mine), I allowed that belt could stay for a while but that it couldn’t be in her pictures. I’ll have to disappear it in the next week or so.

Reid discovered some coins somewhere or another once day recently and, as she gathered them together, she told me that she was going to give them to Santa so that he could buy her some presents. She didn’t specify what she was hoping for but rather said that Santa should choose whatever *he* wanted. It seems we’ve missed some part of Reid’s education vis-à-vis Santa.

Remember the year I wanted nothing more than for Reid to want a train set for Christmas? Well, this year I think my dream present for Reid will coincide with her preference, too. Several times I’ve had to pry Reid away from a dollhouse at post-care and so I started looking at wooden dollhouses but the dolls seem intended for younger kids - maybe 3-6 year olds. The Playmobil ones have people that seem more suited to the 4-8 year olds. Initially I wanted to avoid plastic, for environmental and quality reasons, but I think purchasing a sturdy Playmobil house that Reid will play with longer balances out the eco-friendly wooden house that will come and go more quickly. Plus, who can resist the look of the Playmobil Victorian dollhouse? It comes unfurnished, unfortunately, and so I’ll be soliciting room furnishings and people from anyone inclined to buy Reid a present.

Remember, there are only 52 shopping days until Christmas. I’m pretty sure Grandma Joyce has already started decorating.

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October 11, 2008 by Barbara.

I’m sure that most of the parents if Reid’s classmates were hoping that their kids would look good in their school pictures. I wasn’t. It’s so much cheaper to buy photos from the Loblaws’ Portrait Studio that I booked a session for Reid the day after picture day at school. And then I forgot to take her to it. (I do wish that the Portrait Studio was like the dentist and called me to remind me of the appointment.) All of a sudden, I was one of those parents who was hoping that the pictures from school would turn out. Of course, the company that takes school photographs doesn’t deliver the proofs right away. They must want to encourage prayer in schools or at least among the parents of the children in schools.

Two weeks after picture day, there was (finally) an envelope in Reid’s bag with the proofs in it. As far as I can tell, they took one really good picture of Reid that they then presented in various cropped versions and treatments. She looks so cute! I’m a (tiny) bit biased but it’s true. There is no glare on her glasses and they’re where they belong on her nose. She’s at just the right angle that no part of her face is magnified by her lenses (a new thing for me to watch for in pictures).  All in all, I’m happy and won’t complain about paying what turns out to be just a bit more than Loblaws’ prices.

I worry, though, if my hoping for bad pics will come back to bite me in her class photo. We haven’t seen it yet and so there is always the risk that my wishes will have come true in it. It really is important to be careful what you wish for.

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October 9, 2008 by Barbara.

The other day when I was getting Reid dressed, she started to cry when I put her clothes on in the following order: underwear; shirt; tights; and then, almost, jumper. When I asked what was wrong she sobbed that she wanted her tights on before her shirt. I took her shirt and tights off and put them on in the “right” order. As I did so, I suggested that Reid should have told me the order in which she wanted her clothes on earlier. Reid’s voice broke as she said, “But I wanted you to know what I wanted. I didn’t want to tell you.” Oh, so now I fail her because my psychic abilities aren’t up to the task. Being a mom sure is tough.

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September 11, 2008 by Barbara.

While Aunt Pam and Reid were hanging out last week, Reid spent a lot of time playing with one of Aunt Pam’s hair clips. On Sunday, Reid had one of the hair clips in her possession and I told her she needed to give it back. Reid didn’t protest but looked at the clip a bit wistfully and went to hand it back. Aunt Pam decided that Reid enjoyed the clip so much that she could keep it. Reid was excited and wanted to clarify the terms of the gift. She asked, “Can I keep it forever?” I said that was the case and then Reid asked, “Even when Aunt Pam is dead?” I suppose that the definition of “forever” includes a period of time that is even longer than that but I agreed that it included Aunt Pam’s death. Reid was too happy about the possibility of keeping the hair clip forever to be conscious of the rudeness and morbidity of the question. In any case, it was a gift that was well-appreciated. Perhaps as much as I appreciated having Grandma Joyce and Aunt Pam around last week.

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September 10, 2008 by Barbara.

Little girls can wear things that would otherwise construe fashion faux-pas, don’t you think? Monday morning Reid wanted to wear sandals even though I’d already put socks on her. It’s pretty cool in the mornings, don’t you know. As she put on her silver wedding sandals (from Kathleen and Chris’ wedding), Reid provided me with a running commentary:

Cwute, so cwute. (Admiring her outfit) Betterer with wedding shoes on. Very cwute. (Looking at the ensemble “avec sandales”.)

And she was cute, in her navy jumper that Grandma Joyce made, red shirt, white socks and silver sandals. I’m sure no one would notice that her shirt was a “boy colour” - Reid’s words - once she got the silver sandals on her feet.

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August 19, 2008 by Barbara.

Last week Reid wore a super-cute skirt and top that used to be Danielle’s. They’re knit and have primary-coloured letters on a black background. While she was getting dressed we talked about how Danielle, who is not quite 16, wore the outfit when she was a little girl. Reid asked if people wore this sort of outfit a lot “in the olden days.” Yep, *in the olden days*, when Danielle was young, knit outfits were popular. Especially for the kids whose parents had newfangled inventions like the World Wide Web, portable cell phones and digital watches. (Sorry, I couldn’t remember back 12 years well enough to think of a really good third option. Feel free to supply a better example.)

Here’s to you, Danielle, old lady that you are.

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August 5, 2008 by Barbara.

I tried to get a video but Reid wasn’t in the mood. Here are a couple of pics from Lenscrafters:

Thank goodness I was able to convince Reid that she didn’t need to keep her nose crinkled like this all of the time she has glasses on.

There were four more mirrors between this one and the front door. Reid checked her reflection in each. Based on the smile on her face, she liked what she saw.

It’s not too easy to see Reid’s glasses. They tried to sell me bright red plastic frames. I bet you could have seen them easily! They would have been cute for a while but then it would have been “oh, you’re wearing red glasses again today”. The frames are metal with a light purple tint to them. It’s subtle, though. We were only presented with the ones we got and the red ones because she needed such strong lenses, only the smallest frames would do.

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April 25, 2008 by Barbara.

Skirts have been the subject of a few conversations lately. I don’t recall how often Reid wore skirts when she was small enough to require assistance in the bathroom but I suspect it wasn’t often. Skirts seem to be “big girl” clothes to me and so I suspect she mostly wore dresses, pants and shorts. I’ve been thinking about these things because I noticed Reid pulling her skirt down with her tights one morning. I interrupted the process and told her to only pull down the tights. How can she be nearly 4 without knowing this? What other important woman-knowledge have I forgotten to impart?

With the unseasonably warm weather - though I’m not sure that we can say “seasonable” anymore with the wild fluctuations that we’re seeing - Reid wore a dress and her ever-so-cute white socks with lace at the top. She refused to have them cuffed over and so left the house wearing odd almost-knee socks and a big smile at having evaded the fashion faux pas I’d tried to foist upon her. I mention the socks because they aren’t so white anymore, more striped like a zebra from slouching down than their original pure white like a unicorn. This is what happened to all of her socks last summer, too. I knew it would happen to the fancy pair, too, but keeping the socks unworn in the drawer just so that they would be clean didn’t seem to be a viable option. When we picked Reid up from daycare that night, one of the teachers suggested that Reid might do well to wear shorts under her dresses to “keep things clean down there.” I don’t know why it didn’t come up last year but I hadn’t thought of it and no one had mentioned it. I’ve mentioned the need to Grandma Joyce and she’ll make up spare shorts. We discussed whether she should make bloomers instead but she thought shorts could be worn more often and I thought of the time it takes me to get just the waistband elastics sewn. Grandma Joyce leaves the waistband elastics to me since I have Reid right there in my house but I’m a procrastinator. Sometimes Reid outgrows her clothes before I sew the elastics. I think that might mean I’m a bad mother, letting her wear clothes with safety pins in them.

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