Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go

Reid is getting more and more proficient at undressing and dressing herself. As anyone who visited us at the Wheatley Provincial Park in July probably saw, she has long been able to peel off her pants and panties and, depending on how tight the neckline is, also her shirt. This skill was good for getting into her inflatable turtle pool in the summer and remains useful at bathtime and in the morning when her pyjamas need to come off. She is also pretty good at dressing her bottom hallf. Yesterday, she managed to get her socks on, with only one was twisted but she let me fix it, her panties on once I got the princess to the front and oriented properly in her hands, and then – in a flash – she got her pants on all by herself. She was able to get her shirt arranged with the pumpkin on the front but pulling it over her head is outside of the realm of possible for now.

This morning, she rejected my first three offerings but when I dropped off the last option, telling her she needed to choose from what she had, and went to dress myself she tackled tights on her own. She doesn’t have the gather-the-legs-all-up technique yet but I explained and demonstrated it and then let her pull them up. If the daycare can teach her to put her boots on, I’m up to the challenge of tights. At least by the time she is five. She stepped nicely into her skirt but then had to switch from the shirt I chose to another I’d offered her earlier. Ken’s comment about the clothing opinions was, “Reid, you’re becoming a woman.” I’d have said something but since he will wear pretty much anything I choose as long as it fits and keeps him warm, whereas I try several outfits on any given day, I could only give him a look that said, “Someday, you’ll get yours.” You know, a vague, empty threat look.

Have a great day.

I put Reid into a new, fall outfit this morning. There were flowers on the shirt and jeans and that was how we “sold” them. I choose two “ensembles” each day and Reid chooses. Sometimes she chooses the top from one and the bottom from another but I’ve learned to offer only options that mix and match. Supposedly, choosing her clothing helps to make her a more moral kid person or at least able to recognize that she can make choice rather than just following the crowd. So, anyway, she has new jeans on and she looks cute. Except for the plumber’s but that soon becomes apparent. Now, I know that the look is trendy but it’s not great for a two year old. Since we were late, I hiked the pants up and put her in the car. Ken says at daycare the pants were practically falling down so he had to change her. Did I mention we were late? Well, he didn’t say anything but I can’t see how he could make up any time while changing her pants but … So, we’ll feed her lots and lots to get her fattened up to wear the pants before she outgrows the matching shirt.