Oh! It's a tv!

So Your Baby Can Read arrived day before last, and quite dutifully, we set about putting it into action.

Kipp was just as excited about this program as I was, so much so that he got to watch the first video with Kiki first. Well, okay, first we read the instructions (which is rare for us, so I am proud), and we're supposed to show her the first video twice a day for a month.

Now the first thing is that it warns you not to get your kid hooked on junk tv, or else their attention span is forever shot (I may be slightly exaggerating.) This was a concern, of course, due to Mommy's daily diet of Nickleodeon -- I mean, baby's daily diet -- oh, we're not fooling anybody here. The tv is always on. It is background noise. We don't pay it any attention. And neither does Kiki.

Hence our first problem. How do we get her to watch tv? You may be snickering over there on the other side of this screen, but I'm serious. She's never had ANY interest in tv, and it's always on.

This is what we decided to do. We take her into her room, where she's not used to having a tv on. We take the little tv that's in there and put it on the floor. This way, she's right eye level with it, and she can get up close and personal.

It works like a champ. She sat and watched it all the first time, dancing during the songs, waving when they waved, clapping when they clapped, all of that. She made it about 3/4 of the way through the second time. She just can't sit still long enough!!!

However, I'm still counting it a success in progress, though, because it does engage her and fascinates her, and she does interact with it.

Speaking of tv, we'd recorded So You Think You Can Dance and finally watched it last night. Kipp loves these reality things. I mock them long and loud, but I watch 'em too.

Well, out of nowhere last night comes Brett Branford.



We watched in silence. Then we turned to look at each other. We both had tears in our eyes.

Okay, now, he's not a professional dancer. I'd say he dances better than I do, which is true, but that is so not hard to do, and totally undersells how well he actually dances. And speaks. And represents.

What I appreciated was that they respected why he was there, that they let him perform, they let him speak, they treated him with dignity. Unlike, for example, the averagely-chromosomed woman who auditioned some time after him, who they TORE APART because honestly, I can dance better than she can. And did I mention? I can't dance?

I was a little conflicted at first, because they treated her differently than they treated him, but then it dawned on me 2 things: one, he dances better than she does (in fact, his audition was better than a LOT of auditions I've seen so far), and two, he came with a message. She came with... um, I think nothing, really.

And he was cute. I am nothing if not totally shallow. I looked at Kiki, who was eating while we were watching this, and told her, "Honey, if you ever want to marry somebody that cute? I am totally, 100% behind you!"

Because obviously looks are everything.

Here's the thing that makes me feel a little bit dirty. I actually think he's a bit hot. Well, hell, while we're confessing, we might as well 'fess it all. I think he's hot. There. I said it.

This is... but should be I suppose... but is kind of odd. A little over a year ago, I was the blissfully ignorant bigot who while was nothing but nice to anybody I might meet with Downs, still belief that a) they were all happy and lovey and b) they all looked alike.

A couple of months ago, it occurred to me that all of the babies I've met or seen pictures of this year, all of them, even the ones with Downs, have all been beautiful. Okay, okay, I'm trying to convey something here, but it won't work without honesty so, okay. I've seen some ugly babies this year, too, BUT -- and this part IS the truth -- none of them were babies who have Downs.

I mentioned this to Kipp, that I thought perhaps my perceptions were changing, changing because of Kiki. I thought perhaps that those perceptions would continue to change, that I would continue to evolve, as Kiki grows up, and those perceptions will be extended to adults as well. That probably sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it.

In any event, while it is dirty, I am quite happy and proud of myself that my first reaction to this young man on So You Think You Can Dance was, "Hey, he's hot."

I'm evolving into a dirty old woman, but at least I'm evolving.

You know another good looking kid I've seen recently? The guy who played Pheobe's boyfriend in the Lifetime made-for-tv movie adaptation of The Memory-Keeper's Daughter. Also a hottie. No lie.

Ohmygod, and also? I was not able to find a photo of this actor online. I actually found a pic of KIKI via Google while searching images for "Memory Keeper's Daughter", but not a thing on him. I am NOT KIDDING.