Snippets

Today I dressed my daughter in a fire-engine red onesie and jean overalls. At the deli counter, the woman commented on how alert my "little guy" was, and I said, no, it's a girl. It amazes me that people get contrite over it -- I'm never offended. I'm not even offended when I dress her in head to toe pink and they think she's a boy (I'm puzzled. But not offended.) It's a baby! They have no defining gender-specific features except those in their diapers! How can you possibly know?

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The Boy is ahead of the class in reading and math comprehension, but heretofore has shown absolutely no interest in either writing or drawing or anything at all that involves holding a colouring implement near paper. For the mother's day / christmas / halloween / thanksgiving / children's art day projects I am to receive it looks very much like someone coerced him into drawing a single line or six on paper before he ran off to do something fun. As a result, the only art I see is still scribbles which makes me look vaguely enviously at the drawings of stick people and houses and carefully scrawled names of the other kids, wishing I had something to put on my fridge which doesn't look like someone was trying to make a pen work over a large sheet of paper.

(Oh, I don't fault him for this. I never say anything, except to be gently encouraging about drawing in general. He has his interests, I'm not going to change them, and I love who he is as he is. But still. I like little kid drawings. They are so cute.)

Imagine my surprise when, some days ago, we were in a local drugstore and he spied a package of crayola pens and begged for them. As noted, I am trying to encourage his drawing / writing skills, so I half-heartedly said no and let him negotiate for them. And lo! He LOVES his little pipsqueaks and has been drawing with them ever since. Still scribbles over paper, but you have to start somewhere, right?

I was starting to think he had a real aversion to writing, as does the friend of a child of ours, who is so averse to have been diagnosed with a learning disability. (Yes, yes, I can worry about anything, why do you ask?) Logically I realize he's four and a half, and many children don't even begin writing for a year, or even two, after 4.5, but with so many kids in his daycare scrawling their name over anything and everything I was starting to think he might be quite opposed.

And then the other day he came into the bedroom whilst I was nursing the baby to sleep and presented me with another scribbled drawing he'd done alone in the living room, and I turned it over to read his name messily but legibly scrawled across the back. This is all the more interesting given he had no interest and seemingly no ability to do this mere months ago. When I exclaimed my delight over it rhapsodically he could only point out that it was messy and the letters were not perfect ... poor child. He's finally found something that doesn't come easily and he hates it that it doesn't. Think he'll have to get over this soon enough. Bright he might be, but there's sure to be many other things in life that don't come easily to him.

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My cat seems to like to sleep in the bottom of the exersaucer. It has taken him a month to realize that when I push the seat down, the baby is coming next -- along with little baby feet to step on him. Oh, it's no use trying to get him to move -- I would say things, encourage him to go, push him gently. No, he wouldn't budge until the baby feet were upon him. But at least now, finally, he has figured it out. Guess the bruising wasn't pretty. I simply can't imagine that it's remotely comfortable to sleep there, but what do I know of cats.

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We are having Thanksgiving this weekend at my sister's, as per now a seven year tradition. When she mentioned perhaps heading to my parents for the weekend I was aghast. Strangely enough it seems that Canadian Thanksgiving, like its American counterpart, is the one where we see family; Christmas last we spent a home alone. I guess with kids Christmas becomes that much more cumbersome, what with presents to cart about and all that. Thanksgiving is and only is a nice meal. Much easier to carry about potatoes than gifts for all and sundry.

Anyway I am looking forward to it -- it will be nice to see everyone and have a nice meal and some pie and to dress up my daughter in a dress for once. I think I even have some tights with a frilly bum on them. Weekadays she's a jean overall girl. Thanksgiving she can put on her party clothes.

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A mom friend and I exchanged some meal ideas over email this past week. SHe complained that she felt like she fed her kids pasta all the time, and needed some new ideas. Me, I just hate meal planning and so was excited to hear what she had in mind. Turns out I can easily get away from pasta, but getting away from CHEESE is impossible ... apparently I must bribe my child to eat veggies with cheese!

Which makes it all the more ironic that the doctor suggested I give up dairy to see if I can get my daughter to be less gassy. Sure! No problem! I've given up gluten, let's give up dairy too! The only saving grace in my life will now be dark chocolate. Ah well. I went out and bought some chai tea and some hemp milk and will just hope for the best. Given that I've been trying to eat more plant protein lately instead of any animal products during the day, I'm about THISCLOSE to becoming vegan, which I suppose isn't a bad idea. Healthier, I suppose, to get more calories from fruit, veggies, and legumes than from dairy and meat.

ANnnnnnnddd ... time's up in the exersaucer it seems.