Seashells, Treasure and Pirate Daddies

Oh... so much to discuss, I don't even know where to start.

This month Hailey started new swimming lessons. We moved her up into the 'Seashells' class because our last instructor told us that Hailey was swimming just as well as some of the kids in the higher class. So being the parents of a child who is obviously aquatically gifted...we advanced her. Sure...she does swim just as well...

listen...mmm... that's another story.

The big difference in the Seashells class is that her daddy is not with her, she is in the pool with the instructor and 3-4 other kids by herself. In all honesty, she is actually doing really well and it is extremely good for her to have to learn how to take instructions. It was a little nerve-wracking for me that first day...having to watch her basically alone in water over her head - literally and figuratively. However, I found that I enjoy being able to sit there with Nathan next to me (a new experience) so we can watch her together. It can be pretty amusing. I have moments where I am really very proud of her - and those are generously sprinkled between those 'that's not my kid' moments. This might seem to be an odd comparison, but it reminds me of when we used to take Harley to puppy class.

Earlier this month, I did have my first pure and 'untainted' moment of pride in my daughter's behaviour and it came at the single most unexpected of places.... the dentist! On the 12th of November, we took Hailey in for her first dental check-up. I wasn't sure what to expect - we took her to Nathan's dentist, so that was my first time even at that location. I knew that he was going to get his teeth cleaned first so that she could watch (I was there to run interference). She was interested in what the lady was doing to her daddy, but also spent a lot of that time putzing around the room, playing with a mirror. When it was her time to get in the chair, there was no real fussing - even though she wasn't too sure about the chair reclining. They gave her a pair of blue sunglasses to wear (which I had never seen done before) and she willingly..... willingly.... opened her mouth for the hygienist. She let them do everything - the metal pick, the buffing with the pasty gunk, rinsing with the suction tube (got her tongue stuck once), even flossing! I was not only proud, I was amazed! She took it better than most adults I know. It helped that the hygienist told her she could pick a toy from the treasure chest. That suggestion ended with Hailey asking if the hygienist could loan her some money (treasure chests equate to money and from there the conversation took on a life of its own).

Lately, Hailey likes to give people pretend roles. We watch a lot of Scooby Doo and she has declared that she is now Shaggy. You can often hear her saying "Zoinks!" and she is obsessed with ghosts. Her daddy is often referred to as 'Freddy', I landed the role of Daphne and of course... Harley is Scooby Doo. How I avoided the Velma label, what with her fascination with my glasses, will be my own personal mystery for years. Even one of her favorite treats are 'Scooby Snacks' (they're delicious). I'm just waiting for her to ask Nathan to paint the car green.

She also like to take on other personas. She's often a ghost, kitty or baby. Last night in the car she announced that "Daddy is a boy, Mommy is a girl and Hailey is a princess." ~Of course she is~ After we finished laughing...she changed her mind and said that "Hailey is a princess, Daddy is a pirate and Mommy is a tube." ........ A tube??

'Jinkies!' there is another mystery that will never be solved.

The comic of my life...

Baby Blues is often the perfect illustration of my life...

... for example:

This is pretty much the truth of it...except Nathan doesn't have red hair and glasses.

Holler - Ween!

Well, one of my favorite holidays has come and gone again...Halloween.

I love Halloween, I'm not sure why... (candy)...maybe it is the fact that it takes place during my favorite season of the year... (candy)...I do like a good spooky scare every now and again... (candy)...but I think it must be the (candy) creativeness of the costumes and dressing up that makes me love it so much.

Oh, the candy is nice too.

This year, Hailey dressed up as a princess. Since she already has some diva-like behaviour, 'Princess Hailey' wasn't much a a stretch. In all honesty...what she really wanted to be was (and I quote) a 'scary, dinosaur princess ghost'... but I had a hard time finding that costume at the store, so we went with just a regular pink princess.

At three years old, Hailey can finally physically go Trick-or-Treating, even though she still doesn't quite get the concept of the holiday. Halloween fell on a somewhat chilly Saturday this year - the best of all days for running around the neighborhood. We quickly ate dinner at home, answering the door for the first wave of daylight candy beggars. Hailey got very excited at the idea of other kids coming up to her house. She anxiously watched out the window for Trick-or Treaters. When the rang the bell she ran to the door and asked them all ...'Who are you?'

We decided we would go to my parents' neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating and make their house the first stop. Hailey didn't want to put on her costume until we got to her grandparents' house, so we made sure she had warm clothes and off we went.

Then she fell asleep in the car on the trip to my parents....great.

What's the problem with that you ask?

That means we had to wake her up to go Trick-or-Treating. In our household, anyone who doesn't wake up naturally, on their own... is in an instant bad mood. Instant....bad.... it's a quirk we have obviously handed down to our only offspring. We almost didn't go to any houses for Halloween this year.

It was the classic argument, I don't want to wear:
* a shirt under my costume - or-
* a jacket over my costume.

I understand that argument from the kid side, I wouldn't either. In fact I remember having that very same fight with my mother (I'm sure she's smiling right now). But have you seen how cheap the costumes you buy from the store are?!? The fabric is one step above wearing a sleeve of air!

So...Hailey had a meltdown and we almost went home. Fortunately, we decided to go out to houses we knew wearing street clothes and holding a wand. We ended up at the Browns' house (our wonderful, close friends) and Hailey donned her costume and ran around for the rest of the evening. Thank you Browns (all of you we visited on Halloween) for helping to save our holiday!

Everything turned out fine in the end. In fact...now that it's over, I'm glad the abbreviated door knocking led to having less candy in the house.

Mmmm...candy. It just might be one of my few *cough, cough* weaknesses.

for more pictures of Hailey at Halloween go the 'The Y Spot Photos'