You Can Get Anything You Like At Mommy's Restaurant

Brigid has this look ... it's hard to explain, but she bites her lower lip with her upper lip and then gives a wry smile, sometimes raising her eyebrows at the same time. It's very self-satisfied and smug almost, but it's do darned cute. She's been doing it for the last few days. She has also taken to using some kind of high-pitched, whale siren noise neither Jack nor I remember the other two girls ever using. She amuses herself doing it, so she does it all the time, along with her other babble language.

Pulling up seems to be the motive for any movement these days. She'll crawl to something in order to pull herself up. All other movement is useless if it doesn't achieve this goal. And yesterday she was taking tentative steps to cruise the crib. She was also showing off, holding on to the crib rail with one hand. At six and a half months, the kid is in too big a hurry to be mobile. Everyone keeps saying it's because she has to keep up with her sisters, but I think she's just naturally in a hurry.

Last night she didn't go to sleep in the crib, although not from lack of trying. Twice she fell asleep on the boob and I tried transferring her but she woke up angry and annoyed that I would even try such a thing. When we did go to bed and had her in the bed between us, it's as if she knows this is her place, where she is supposed to be, and if I don't produce the sleep-inducement item, ie, the boob, she becomes aggitated and offended. She gets very frustrated and starts rooting around all over the place, grabbing my nightgown and pulling herself to me. If she wasn't so angry, it would be funny. But then she'll fall asleep and flop herself down on her back, arms splayed out, as if in defeat, sound asleep. For about two hours. Then she rolls over, grabs me and starts the process all over again. Like I said, it could be funny....

Margaret and Patricia spent the weekend snipping and snarling at each other. Everything was an argument, that is, when they weren't playing and laughing uproariously with one another. A curious dynamic exists between them. They are their own best friends and worst enemies. But yesterday was the worst. Lots of drama and arguing. I think they were tired and it wasn't a good day so we didn't do much outside. I hope today is better. They have jazz, which they seem to enjoy and now that they have their jazz shoes I'm sure they'll enjoy it more.

Oh, big news to post: Margaret tested for and earned her third-degree brown belt (the first of three brown-belt ranks before black belt) on Friday. She was so proud, and so were we. She's come a long way.