Margaret Hits the Lucky 13

Happy 13th birthday, Margaret Mary! I can’t believe my little sweetie peetie is a teenager now. Aside from the fact that I resent her turning 13 – I cannot possibly be old enough to have a 13-year-old child, I am astonished at how quickly the time has flown by and how she has matured into such a well-mannered, graceful and capable young woman. We’ve seen snippets of teen-dom and a little attitude, all to be expected. But she’s a good kid, she’s a smart kid and we’re so very, very proud of her.

Third-term report cards came home the other day from the middle school, and I told Margaret, “I’m afraid you’ve been slacking off. You’re going to have to figure out a way to beat these straight-A+ grades. How can you ever improve if you’re perfect?” She just rolled her teenager eyes at me and went back to her book.

Yesterday was a fairly busy one for me because I had a 3:15 appointment for Brigid to get her hair cut. She has had little tiny bits clipped here and there when either I or Daddy went to Kimmie to have hair cut, but this was her first real styled haircut. I regret I didn’t bring the camera to the salon with me, but I will post a photo of her cute do when I get a chance today. I told Kim that it in no way endorses the family, but I kind of like the cut that Suri Cruise had and we found some photos in a People Magazine they had at the salon. Brigid had some initial anxiety about having her hair touched – I was never able to really brush it or pull it into a pony tail without her freaking out – she settled on my lap and let Kimmie do her magic through diversion with a sucker and the spray bottle. When she was done, she ran around striking a few poses here and there. She is a hambone.

Then later, when the girls had gone to tap class and Jack was home for his dinner hour, I ran out to pick up a balloon bouquet with a dozen white and blue balloons and a mylar balloon that said Happy 13th Birthday on it. I hid it upstairs until after the girls had gone to bed and brought it back downstairs with a Happy Birthday Margaret sign to greet her this morning. She was very excited and surprised, but probably not as excited as Brigid was when she ran out into the living room and saw the balloons. She kept saying, “Happy Birf-day balloons! Happy Birf-day balloons!” because she got some on her birthday, too. Margaret was very good about giving Brigid a few to play with.

Patricia has been feeling much, much better this past week than the previous weeks when she was suffering with her head and chest cold and then the ear infection. Brigid finished her antibiotics yesterday for the ear infection; Patricia winds up hers tomorrow. Then they go back to see the doctor on May 13, the same day Margaret goes for a well-child visit. I asked if we could please just get them all in the same time. Patricia is very proud of her change in lifestyle. She made a resolution this past New Year’s that she wanted to make better choices and do more exercise. She has consistently gone to the YMCA with Jack days they have off together. Of course, she takes jazz and tap class, but she’s also changed her views of food choices. She isn’t “dieting,” and she makes it clear that she’s not. She’s just choosing not to eat the candy or chips or excessive snacks. When she chooses a snack, it tends to be fruit or yogurt instead. She’ll have her treats at times, but she’s got a very different attitude. It’s paid off for her and she’s lost nearly 20 pounds. Believe me, as someone who’s well aware of what can happen to young girls with regards to body image and eating disorders, I have frank discussions with Patricia about the issues. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. She looks good and very healthy and seems to enjoy looking for opportunities to be active. Having Brigid chase her around must help, too.