It's Exhausting Just Reading About Her

No Jenny again yesterday or today. She was substitute teaching and has to take the jobs so she can earn her hours for certification. We certainly can't blame her -- this is her career she's working on and babysitting, at least for Jenny, is more of a hobby than a career, although it's been her career for the last 12 years. No Jenny means Daddy has his day of Baby Brigid. They took a marathon walk yesterday and are probably doing the same now as I write this. Brigid does well when she's mobile and has things to look at if she hasn't fallen asleep. If she's not moving, she wants to be out and about, either in your arms or on the floor. She was sleeping when I left for work yesterday morning and in the crib having a nap when I got home. But she woke up in a sleepy but happy mood. Patricia was at chorus after school, so I was able to feed Brigid in relative quiet until I had to leave to pick up Margaret at school. We returned in time for Patricia and her friend, Nicole, to come home. They have time to do their homework and play a little before getting ready for jazz class. The girls had a better class this week, I think in part because they had their new shoes. But like anything, it takes time and the more classes they have under their collective belts the better they'll do and better they'll feel. Patricia is so hard on herself, she thinks she has to master something immediately. Last week she was in tears after calss.This week was a little better. And because many of the steps are ones I've already done in my own classes, I can help them with their routines.

Brigid crawled around the waiting room of the new studio while the girls were dancing. She was tired, but didn't want to be held. She just wanted to be down. Everyone oohed and ahhed at her as she worked the room. But her four-month-old-baby smiles have disappeared. She's much more discerning about who she grants a smile and who just gets a wary stare. No amount of coaxing can lure a smile out of her if she doesn't want to smile. I always feel I have to apologize to people when she won't smile. Actually, she's probably just a good judge of character.

After jazz class, we had leftovers for dinner and Brigid slept for most of the dinner hour, but she woke near the end and wanted to eat. I fed her, but she's becoming much more interested in what's happening on the table. She wants to be involved with what's going on around her. The girls and I played with her on the floor in the living room when Jack went back to work and that seemed to tire her out. She was ready to nurse herself into a stupor but refused to let me put her down. So while the girls went upstairs to put on their PJs and play with their Breyer horses in their room, I gave Brigid a bath and put her in her snuggly PJs. She was very calm and happy. The girls went to bed, but Patricia insists on coming up with projects either right before bed or right after beeing sent to bed. Last night, she determined she had to photocopy recipes from two books that had to go back to the library today. I told her to do it quickly and then get to bed. She was then determined to insert them in her Kids Cook book, but I told her that could wait until today. She went up, in protest. I fed Brigid on and off until bedtime, and she did go down in her crib, but she didn't stay in it long, maybe 20 minutes, before waking again, angry and annoyed at my attempt to force her to sleep under such inhumane conditions. She did fall asleep quickly between us, but again, every couple of hours she would wake, root around and then pass out after a little nosh. She was asleep again as I left for work this morning, having had a snack about 8 a.m. But she's such a cute peanut, I'm torn between wanting her to be independent and wanting her to cling to me forever.

Margaret has her first karate class among the teens today and as a brown belt. It should be interesting for her. Her other class had a lot of little kids in it. Now she'll be among kids closer to her own age and rank.

Without Jenny, our day will be a little hectic. I have a staff meeting at 1 p.m. from which I'll have to leave in order to be home in time for Jack to get to work; Margaret gets out at 2 p.m. today so will walk to the library so I don't have to rush over to pick her up; Patricia gets home at 2:30. I'll have to leave her to pick up Margaret and then get home so she can get her gee on and then head over for her 4 p.m. karate class. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Whew. It makes me exhausted just looking at it.