Natalie
Just as I got out of my car, Don was on his way to his black SUV, when he saw me. Putting the car keys back in a pocket, he walked towards me.
"Hey..." I said, feeling tired. It had been a very long day.
"Don't you think you guys are pushing Rach a little too hard?" he just asked. Don hadn't inherited his fathers gentle diplomacy.
Truth be told, I hated to see my daughter upset, but I had learned a little, at least, thanks to experience and my husband, how to deal with tantrums. Plus, it was essential for Rach to at least, know something about vocalizing. Before we all know it, she'll have to start nursery school. What if something serious happened, or Rach felt very ill and the teacher didn't have a clue because of misunderstanding my baby? As for the talking thing, it worried me a bit because of the head injury, but then one of my nieces didn't say her first word until around twenty months, so who knows?
"Rach is perfectly able to say 'beep'" I told him, and added. "And it's good practice for when she does start to talk."
"Rach should go at her pace!" he argued.
"No offense Don, but it's up to me and your father to decide if she's going at her pace, not you"
"Come on! She's my sister!"
"Sister...not daughter..." I reminded him.
He scowled at me, but got a call from work before being able to say something rude and nasty. Shaking my head, I went into the house. Alan , on his recliner, worked on newspaper crossword puzzle. Things had thawed between us quite a bit, as we had compromised by agreeing to get Rachael to use the bottle herself more often.
"What's a seven lettered word for a very tired vet?" I asked, tongue in cheek. He was absorbed in the crossword puzzle. Looking up, my husband looked up with a smile, and we kissed. "How was your day?"
"I gotta new client!" he beamed.
"That's great, babe! What kinda project?"
"Mini golf course..." he then got into a lot of detail, I listened. His work always interested me. Then, he asked. "How about you?"
"One appointment after another and too many house calls!" I lamented. "But I'm off tomorrow. Why don't the three of us have lunch at your office?"
"Looking forward to it!" Alan agreed happily, and paused, as if in thought. "Maybe we could uh..have Rach's hair trimmed?"
"trimmed?" I repeated, loving my daughter's hair the way it was.
"Remember when you told me that it was important to bathe cats when they were young so they could get used it more easily?" Alan began. "It's the same thing with kids and haircuts. Rach, especially, needs to learn how to behave when getting her hair cut. Otherwise, when she really needs to go, she'll panic, and get herself injured in the process."
"That is so true!" I agreed wholeheartedly. As she got older, more will need to be done with her hair.
"I'll make the appointment" Alan promised. "And we can go after lunch."
-------------------------------------------------------
I got Chinese food for us, and went to Alan's office after giving Rach her own lunch. As my husband and I ate, she played next to Alan's desk.
After a while, Rach put her arms up and said, "AaaaHhii!" That was her way of asking to be carried. Alan got up , squatted near her and said.
"It's Dad,...do you want me to carry ya?"
She got louder in her demand.
My husband persisted "Say Da!"
"AAAiiii!"
"Da..." Alan repeated.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Shrugging, Alan returned to his food, and we let her cry it out, until it was time to leave. I found it hard to not pick her up, but I made myself think about the long term.
After lunch, we went to a place that specialized in kids' haircuts. Since we were early, the three of us sat in the waiting area. Rach was in Alan's lap. Before I knew it, her turn was up.
TBC
