This is the first post of what I hope turns out to be a regular feature, created as a way to not only keep others (ie. family members) informed with regards to the life and times of the Downs girls, but for me to capture their lives as well since I am awful when it comes to journaling in their books.

Brigid Baby Girl turns 20 weeks on Sunday, July 30. Hard to believe the time has flown by. Big sisters Margaret, 11, and Patricia, soon-to-be 9, fawn over their little baby girl, which is great for me because I can a) be assured a pair of hands to hold the baby when I need to get dinner on the table; and 2) be assured the baby will never be ignored. Ever. Period. Patricia said recently, "Mom, Margaret is hogging the baby!" I like that one. May Brigid be forever hogged.

I am currently working an abbreviated version of my 30-hour-week at work so I can be home when Jack has to go to work. It's working so far; the summer months are quiet at work, although we are forever churning out copy and working on the next issue of the magazine.When the semester begins again, I'll have to re-evaluate how we do our schedule between work and home, but like Scarlett O'Hara, I won't think about that now; I'll think about that later. I'll go crazy if I think about that now.

Brigid has gone from a little lump of love to a lump of love on a mission to move. She has long held the world record for strongest baby -- holding her head up early, strong of back and leg. And as of yesterday, she was getting on her hands and knees and rocking in preparation for crawling. Crawling! She's too young and it's too soon. I'm seriously entertaining the idea of knee-capping her to keep her from this monumental milestone.

In other news, Jack and I decided to bite the bullet and pull the girls from the parochial school that used to be St. Peter's up until the end of June. The "new and improved" school is neither. It's old and tainted. When the diocese decided to close both parochial elementary schools in our area and open this new school, called Seton Academy, it was with the understanding that it would be the best of both schools. They hired the other school's principal, who in turn came in and cleaned house, eliminating four of St. Peter's teachers. Tuition went up considerably, fair share -- the system by which families could work of some of their tuition payment by volunteering in various capacities -- was eliminated, and just in general, the handling of th whole matter was badly bungled. We instead opted to put the girls in the public system. Oak Street School is three doors down from our front door. Patricia will attend fourth and fifth grades there. Stafford Middle School is five blocks in the opposite direction, and Margaret will attend sixth, seventh and eighth there. They are actually excited by the prospect because of all the things that can be offered at the public school they could never have imagined at a parochial school. We're just trying to come to terms with it ourselves because we were so vested in our parochial school. We just have to look at it in a practical manner -- St. Peter's is no more. John Yonkovig, pastor of St. Peter's and Brigid's Godfather, said it's been his dream to start a preK-3 school. If Seton tanks, I told him I'd rally behind his new endeavor. Just in time for Brigid...Until next time.