Mike Meyers Helps Put Our Baby B to Sleep

We've been busy at Chez Downs the last week, but for the life of me I can't remember why. Oh, yes. Life. It keeps getting in the way. The girls (Margaret and Patricia... I have to remember I have three girls when I say that) have been busy with Summer Safari where they are performing in Seussical the Musical Jr., coincidentally in the same building where I work. So I get to peek in every now and then and see how rehearsals are going. They perform on Thursday in the morning and evening. On Friday, it was raining (as usual. It's been a wet, cold summer) so we all went to the Clinton County Fair after I got out of work. We were somewhat disappointed, not so much because of the sogginess but because it was just dull. It's a small fair anyway, but it seemed to be lacking in things to see this year. So it wasn't hard to convince the older girls that it was time to go without having gone on any rides on the midway. Brigid, on the other hand, loved the cows and horses she saw and got very excited whenever we were in their vicinity. Several cows and a few horses moo'ed and whinnied just for her.

That night, Jack and Patricia headed up to the lake on their own because Jack had to help his dad with the hay early the next morning, so it was Margaret, Brigid and I on our own in Plattsburgh for the night. Margaret wanted to go to Border's for the big Harry Potter roll-out. Although we had ordered our copy through Amazon.com, she still wanted to go and watch the show. Plus, she had arranged to meet her friend, Maggie, there. Maggie was getting her book from Border's. We did a little grocery shopping and then headed over to the mall about 8:30. The Border's gala was going to start about 9 and Margaret wanted to be there in time to see what was going on. We had "Butter Beer" in the cafe -- a Sprite, caramel and cream concoction that, apparently, Harry drinks in the book. Brigid loved it. The parade of costumes was fun to watch as more and more people showed up to wait the three hours until the book was released. The mall closes at 9 so that end of the building was desered. I let Brigid run around unencumbered, which really wore her out. Finally, Maggie and her mom and sister showed up. They were going to stay; I had to get Brigid to bed. It was about 9:30 by now and she was starting to get floppy. So I left Margaret there -- she'd get a ride home with Maggie's mom -- and went home to get the baby to bed.

Brigid has had an affinity for "Shrek" and will watch both I and II all the way through, one after the other, if we let her. Well, after leaving Margaret at the mall, I sat with Brigid in the rocker and she wanted to hold the "Shrek" boxes while we rocked and she nursed. She wouldn't let go of them when I tried to take them away as she started drifting off. She fell asleep and as I transferred her to the crib, I tried again, but she clutched them and would cry out if I took them away. So I put her to bed with the "Shrek" boxes. When I got her in the morning to bring her in with me, she wanted to bring the boxes in with her. Jack said we've got to find her a Shrek doll or blanket or something. Those boxes are pretty hard to sleep on.

Meanwhile, Margaret didn't get home until after 1 a.m. because Maggie's number in line was a long way back. But I figured she could sleep in ... afterall, this is the last event in Harry's career, or at least until J.K. Rowling decides to write another because she's gotten used to those royalty checks flowing in.

Sleep in she did -- for her, anyway, getting up at 9 a.m. We decided to do a little garage sale shopping before heading up to the lake ourselves. It was the first nice day -- sunny and warm -- that we've had in a long time. We found a few things and then went up to the lake where we found Jack, Patricia and Grandma out at the ring. Patricia had just been up on Curly Sue and Jack was trying to get her to jump some rails without much success. Margaret wanted to ride, so we hung out at the barn for a while. Brigid loved visiting with Curly while Margaret rode Firefly on the lunge rope with Jack. After a successful stint in the ring, we all went to the sandbar for an hour at the beach. Brigid is a waterbaby, no doubt. This kid wants to be in the water...I mean really in it. She keeps trying to go under, to dive, to dunk. She gets angry if we don't let her try it, but we're afraid to let her go in like that. And because of all the rain we've had, the water was on the cold side so she was visibly shaking. But she still wanted to be in. We called it quits after about an hour and headed back to the camp. Brigid hadn't napped much -- about 10 minutes in the car on the way to the lake -- and as much as I didn't want her to, she passed out right at dinner time. I was afraid she'd not want to go to bed at a reasonable hour as a result, but she was so, so tired.

We had a campfire after dinner where Margaret and Patricia regaled us with their songs from Seussical. Brigid was content to sit there and eat the the chocolate that was supposed to be used for S'mores. I didn't have to worry too much about her not being sleepy. She fell asleep not long after the campfire ended.

Sunday was another sunny day, and Jack and Margaret got up early to do some riding. Firefly is a talented horse and a bit to handle for an inexperienced or young rider. But Jack is working with Margaret on him and she's doing very well. She may be able to ride Firefly in the next show the girls are going to do in August. She's very excited about that prospect. They went on their ride while I got Brigid ready to go. Patricia was dressed and ready: we were going back to Plattsburgh to go to Mass at St. Peter's instead of going to Lyon Mountain. Jack had to work anyway, so we figured we'd go to Mass and he could stay at the lake and go kayaking, something he hasn't been able to do all summer.

We made it to Mass in Plattsburgh, then had a nice lunch, just us girls, afterward at Perkins, and Brigid was hungry but fussy. Sundays throw her off her regular schedule where she's eating lunch at 11 and having her nap by noon. We got home and it was after 1 p.m. and she still hadn't fallen asleep. I brought her in bed with me and finally we both took a nap. I was beat. It was a beautiful day, but I just couldn't wake up. When she got up from her nap, she wanted to watch "Shrek," so Patricia sat with her and watched the movie and I collapsed back into bed for another hour. Margaret, meanwhile, was lost in Hogwarts, where she had been since getting her book from Amazon on Saturday morning. I'm surprised she didn't have the book open on her lap while in the saddle. Sunday night I had a nice email from Grandma Wright checking on our plans for vacation next week when we go to Buffalo, a call from Aunt Sandy, who was also checking on our plans, (while at the same time Grandma was calling HER to tell her my plans LOL) and then Aunt Sandy put Cassandra on the phone to talk to her cousins. Margaret and Patricia are looking forward to a visit to Build a Bear with her. Like they say in the military, four days and a wake-up before we head to Buffalo.

I had a day-long retreat on Monday at work, so I didn't get to see my girls until almost dinner time. But everyone was tired Monday night, that's for sure. No arguments from any of them when it was bedtime. Brigid has been getting very good at going to bed drowsy insteady of sound asleep, and she hasn't been screaming and crying when I've put her in her crib. I hope this is a sign -- a good sign -- that she's getting used to falling asleep on her own, surrounded by her crib doll, beardog and Shrek. I've got to find her a Shrek substitute. Those boxes are leaving creases on her cheeks.

Horsing Around in Malone Brings in the Ribbons

Well, Margaret and Patricia had their first horseshow experience on Sunday and made us all very, very proud. The show, held at the fairgrounds in Malone, had several classes and the girls each entered walk/trot and equitation classes in their age groups. The one thing I didn't count on, arriving about 10 a.m. in anticipation of their showing around lunchtime, was that it wasn't going to happen in that timeframe. I didn't want to have to hang around with the baby all morning, but it turned out that we did. And Brigid was as good as she could be, but it got to be her lunch and nap time and neither of those things happened for her.

Just when the girls were scheduled to go in the ring, Brigid had a major meltdown. It was hard to watch the girls compete with a crying baby on my hip, but one of their cousins, (second cousin Lindsey) managed to distract Brigid so I could take some pictures. I used my 35 mm so I have to have them burned onto a CD before I can post them here. Patricia competed first on Curly Sue and did so well. But when the horses and riders have to line up in the middle for the ribbons, she had to ride out of the ring so Margaret could get on for her event, which immediately followed. Patricia's name was called as she was walking back into the ring to join the other competitors. She earned a white and a pink ribbon for her performance and we were so happy for her.

Margaret placed third for both classes, earning yellow ribbons. Their very first ribbons in their very first event! How much better can it get? We got the horse back in the trailer and Grandma and Granddad Downs took off to bring Curly Sue back to the lake and the girls and I climbed into the van (Jack had to work, so he missed the events) and Brigid was asleep before I even got out of the fairgrounds. She slept the way back to the lake and woke up in a good mood even though she was very, very hungry.

I told both girls that the ribbons didn't matter to us. They're a nice bonus. What really mattered was that they went in there and participated, that they went in the ring, in front of everyone and did their very best and enjoyed themselves. They were beaming ear to ear, and so was I. They looked so darned cute in their riding habits, very grown up and businesslike. They love riding and this is a good outlet for that passion. They want to participate in the next show in August on the 19th.

Both girls then had to turn their attention once again to their theater workshop project, which entered its second week at the college. They are doing "Seussical the Musical" on Thursday, July 26, and this week and next will be spent preparing for it. They have several costume changes and many, many songs and dance numbers to learn but it's so far been a great experience. Tomorrow, they change from a classroon across campus to the theater in Hawkins Hall, the building where I work, so I'll be able to peek in from time to time and maybe take a few pictures to post here of their rehearsals. It's such a good experience, both participating in the horseshows and in theater (and dance, too, for that matter) because it prepares them to be comfortable in front of people. From the looks of it, Brigid will be a performer, too. Boy, does she love to dance and sing. The dancing is getting more and more sophisticated as she becomes more certain on her feet. She sways and waves her arms, she puts her hands on her hips and bends back and forth. She twirls and waves her arms over her head. She squats down and stands up, stamps her feet and runs around, all in time to the music. She has a great sense of rhythm for a kid who just turned 16 months on the 12th. She also sings, or at least babbles to a tune in her head. It's adorable. But I'm not surprised considering we always have music playing and are always dancing with her and singing. Jack had pulled out his guitar to play and Margaret plays her flute along with him. (thank you, Michelle). It's a lot of fun because Brigid enjoys the little concerts, too.

Now if we could only parlay this into a lucretive career. Hmmm, the Von Downs Family Singers. Hmmmm.

Mom of the Year, Not

First of all, Happy 16-month Birthday, Baby B! BB turned 16 months yesterday and I didn't get a chance to write about it then, so happy 16-plus-one-day. Can't believe it's been 16 months that Brigid has been in our lives, has been such a fixture in our world. I can't imagine life without her. She is growing at an amazing rate and developing before our eyes. Her steadiness on her feet, her dexterity and physical presence is getting so strong. She's also a smart, cunning little thing. Yesterday I was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her and although she usually tries some of the hand gestures, yesterday she just stood looking at me, a slight smile on her lips. She then went and picked up a small book and handed it to me, open to the page that has "Itsy Bitsy Spider" on it. I also started reciting something from one of the Sandra Boynton books we have, "Stomp your feet, clap your hands, everybody ready for a barnyard dance" and she looked for and found the "Barnyard Dance" book. She knows what it means if we ask her if she wants to watch TV. She loves "Shrek" and the "Toy Story" movies. She knows which ones they are and where they are. She also understands that if she points the remote at the TV something is supposed to happen. When it doesn't (like if the DVD player is on and she's pointing the VCR remote" she'll look at you, confused. I gave her a non-working remote to play with and sometimes when she points it at the TV, Patricia will work the other remote just so Brigid thinks she's doing something that works.

We were in the kitchen the other day and I have a gate up between the kitchen and dining room. When it's stretched across the entryway, it's about 10 inches off from the floor. I walked over to see what she was up to and caught her trying to crawl under the thing, but not in a conventional way. She was actually on her back, trying to limbo under it, kind of like Steve McQueen in the "Great Escape." She looked up at me and did kind of a "heh heh heh" and pulled herself back out.

She's babbling all the time and throwing real words and phrases in the middle, so it's hard to discern the words at times, but sometimes she'll hold something up and say what sounds like, "Look what I have." She'll say pretty clearly, "All done?" She says, "side? side?" and point at the door for outside. Ball is pretty popular for anything that is round and ball-shaped. She'll say Hiya and wave. There are lots of little words I need to write down when I hear them. She certainly understands more than she can speak. Dogs drive her nuts. She loves when she sees a dog and gets all excited, and then she says "woofwoofwoofwoof" like it's all one word.

But it's time to report the reason for today's headline. Chalk it up to another entry in the Mom of the Year scorepad. Yesterday I noticed BB was cutting a molar on her bottom left. Hey, I said. Brigid's cutting a tooth. Yay! We all clapped and I was going to write it in her baby book. But later, when I had her on the changing table, I thought I'd feel around inside to see if she was working on any more. She had three molars fully erupted and in working order. So with the one that she's cutting, she'll have 12 teeth altogether. In her baby book I'll have to write something like, "Brigid cut four molars, one top and one bottom on both sides, sometime between January and July." How's THAT for staying on top of my daughter's developmental milestones. Take that, Barry Brazelton. I'll be reporting on her taking her first steps any day now.

Separation Anxiety Can Exist for Your Money, Too

(For some reason, Blogger won't let me put in a headline on this posting)


Even though she is only on the cusp of 16 months, I have to brag a little about our Baby Brigid and her incredible intelligence. Last night after dinner, I gave Brigid a little naked time, stripping her down so she could run around the living room and her bedroom. She enjoys naked time. Who wouldn't? But she didn't seem to be enjoying it as much, as if something was troubling her. She looked concerned, so I asked her, "Do you have to go poop? Do you want me to put your diaper back on?" She ran into her room, grabbed a diaper off the changing table and then grabbed onto the railing of the table as if she wanted to scale it. I got up and picked her up, put her on the table in the suppline position for diapering, which she often disagrees with, and slapped a Pampers on her. I then put her back down and she took off in just a diaper. Well, not two minutes later, Margaret said she thought Brigid had pooped. Brigid ran in her room again and I looked in at her. She looked up at me, and I asked, "Do you need me to change your diaper?" She went to the changing table again and grabbed onto the rail in a demonstration of her attempt at climbing up. I picked her up and sure enough, she had a full diaper. I changed her and got her in her pajamas.

Now, this may not sound like much, but the kid got it. She understood that she had to do something and would rather do it in a diaper instead of just standing in the corner and letting go. I think this is very significant. It shows awareness, which is the first real step toward potty training. Now, of course, we're a long ways off from potty training, but at 15 months Brigid understands something goes on down there, we call it "Poop," and it requires one of those comfy things Mommy or Daddy wrap around her bottom portion. And when those comfy things aren't so comfy, Mommy or Daddy take it off and put on another one that is more comfy. She's getting it.

We've seen a few developmental changes in Baby B lately. She isn't so kissy. She doesn't plant kisses on people on command like she used to, even a few weeks ago. She's very discerning with her kisses. And she seems to be having a little separation anxiety as evidenced by her crying when Jack wanted to leave her at the babysitting at the YMCA. She cried there before, but not when he was attempting to leave. She clutched his leg and cried. He was able to make an exit when she was seated for snacktime, but this is a new development. It makes perfect sense, age-wise. (Brigid's age, not Jack's). But she'll gradually come out of it and be fine, expecially when it becomes more of a routine.

Margaret and Patricia have stepped up to the plate this summer with babysitting their little sister. Of course, they've also stepped up to the bank teller's window with the dough they're earning. Margaret decided she didn't want to be carrying around more than $100 in cash on her and insisted on making a deposit into her savings account. Patricia, not so much a saver, just wanted the cash. But Margaret is the larger of the two earners so had more loot to haul around. I give her credit. (I also give her cash). She saves her money. Maybe I can learn a thing or two.

Horsing Around This Summer

Well, just like anything else, if you wait around long enough things change. Those 90-degree days dropped like hot rocks to temps in the 50s. We went to the lake for the weekend and it was cold. Baby Brigid was in her blanket sleeper and Jack had a fire going every night we were there. The girls and I went shopping on Saturday in Malone and we picked up a pair of Crocs (http://www.crocs.com/home.jsp) for Brigid. So cute! Patricia wanted a pair so I got her a pair as an early birthday present. Margaret got a pair for her birthday, so we're all Crocked out. Brigid's don't fit quite right yet, but she'll grow into them. I'd rather have them a little too big then have her grow out of them right away. They ain't cheap.

I had to shoot the Lake Placid Horse Show on Sunday and it was 50 degrees with a cold, cold wind. I wasn't dressed well for the afternoon, so I spent the first part of the show jumping event praying for clear rounds so I could go inside the VIP club and warm up before a jump-off. (Riders who clear the first round compete in a tie-breaking jump-off. Once two riders clear the course, there is a guaranteed jump-off and I don't have to shoot the first-round competition after that). Well, it happened right away, so I spent the first round (about an hour and a half) inside keeping warm. There were 10 horses in the jump-off, so I had to freeze for a while during that. But it could have been much, much worse.

Jack had Brigid to himself that day because Margaret and Patricia went with Grandma and Granddad Downs to a horse show in Malone. Grandma is grooming Margaret and Patricia for participation in horse shows. I think she's reliving the glory days of the Downs Family Equestrien. They've been learning all they can for their first show July 15. She outfitted them from head to toe. They are adorable in their riding gear. They came back all excited about participating. Cousins Stephanie and Tim can give them some pointers. We'll all be going to Buffalo for a few days at the end of the month so the girls will have something to talk about.

Speaking of riding, Brigid has been on her first horse, of course. Daddy put her on the saddle and she wasn't too afraid. I have pictures of Patricia and Margaret at this age up in the saddle. Guess I'll have to get one of Baby B as well.

On Monday, both Margaret and Patricia begin a three-week workshop in theater for kids. They'll be working toward a production of "Seussical the Musical" for the end of the three weeks. They're excited and it gives them something to do as well. The afternoons are spent watching the baby until I get home from work (not too late), so this will be a nice break for them. Then it's off to Buffalo for four nights. Hope to see a lot of family, do some visiting with friends (Chet and Mar, hope you're reading) and do some fun things around the area. Grandma Wright is going to take us to Vidler's in East Aurora (been there with Chet and Mar. It's a great, true five and dime). And I hope to take the girls to the zoo.

This weekend, the girls will be hanging out with Daddy because I have to go back to Lake Placid for the next grand prix at the horse show. So they'll watch a parade being held on Saturday. It's kind of a combination of July 4 festivities and celebration of the Mayor's Cup sailboat race being held Saturday. I hope we have warmer, brighter weather than we did last weekend. I don't want to freeze again!

B O N U S Photo

Brigid digs into strawberries and whipped cream while Daddy prays she doesn't get it all over his work shirt.