I have made no big secret of what Alexis is getting for Christmas. In fact, if she hasn't figured it out by now, she's just not paying attention. Not only have I shopped right in front of her, I have wrapped all of her gifts with her full assistance. All of her gifts except the Signing Time videos, that is. I'm no fool, I knew if she saw them that there would be no waiting until Christmas.

(While we're on the subject, I should probably admit that they arrived on a day when I came home from lunch. It took every ounce of energy I had to go back to work and not spend the afternoon lounging on the couch watching her videos. Do you know the last time I watched the TV without 18 million other things going on? Me thinks it's been a long time.)

So I kept the videos discreetly stashed in nearly plain view and finally brought them out to wrap them yesterday. I would have wrapped them when Alexis was nowhere to be found, but since she doesn't seem to have a life of her own, I decided to do it while she happily played in her kitchen. I don't know what caught her attention, but of course she came running just as I had a DVD in my hands. She stole it. Then she proceeded to proclaim, "Signing Time!" Then she started to make out with the box. She was hugging and kissing Rachel as if it had been months since they had seen one another. They really ought to get a room.

I figured at that point I was screwed and would be opening the DVD for her to watch it. But she didn't ask me to. Nope. Instead, she started looking for Daddy and saying, "Daddy, help watch Signing Time." Except he was outside and out of hearing range. Wouldn't you know it, she never did ask me. I was able to wrangle the box out of her hand, wrap it, and carry on with my business.

Apparently somebody has figured out that I don't condone TV watching. But she knows who does. Sucker.