Funerals, Playgrounds and Swimming Pools

Apparently, Maggie Schalk wants me to update the blog more often -- I make no promises, but I'll oblige today. We've had a few glorious days of weather lately and they've really pulled the green out of the trees. Makes everyone's mood a little lighter, I think. Brigid has been in a fabulous mood -- except when she's not. But the nice weather has really made her want to play in the playground behind the house. Poor Patricia gets the brunt of Brigid's enthusiasm and has spent countless hours chasing her around the playground, up the slide and down. She's a very good big sister to our Baby B.

Drop-offs at the child care center have been getting better and better, with Brigid very happy to be there in the morning. She's always enjoyed it, but every morning has been more of a cling-fest than a jubulant parting. The last few days, she's been very chatty and happy to go in the door. It could all be atributable to the weather. It means they'll be spending lots of time on the playground, and Brigid loves to be outside.

This morning, on the way in to school, she was chattering away in her car seat, saying "It is a very beautiful day today." I agreed with her. "A very beautiful day makes me very happy," she said. "I'm a very happy baby. Only, I'm not a baby anymore. I am a big girl!" She started saying it over and over, "I am a big girl!" I only wish that sentiment carried over to her absolute abhorrance to using the potty. She wants nothing to do with it. Has no inclination to consider it, and, in fact, is vehement in her resolve not to use it. At 3 years, a month and 17 days, she has surpassed Margaret's record of 3 years, a month and a week. Patricia was just about 3 years but had some mishaps afterward. Still, she was wearing big-girl underware at 3 years. Even the lure of big-girl panties with her favorite princesses on them won't sway her. She wants to wear them OVER the diaper.

On a sad note, the girls and I will be heading back to White River Junction, Vt., to see my college friend, Kathleen, but not for a fun visit. Her dad died last week and tomorrow is the funeral, so I'm pulling the girls from school to go. I never take them out for anything, and Mr. Stevens was very good to them whenever we'd visit. They even called him Grampy, which is what his grandchildren called him. It was almost three years ago to the day that Mrs. Stevens died and I brought the girls down for her funeral. Brigid was indeed Baby B at the time -- all of a month old. Mr. Stevens had suffered badly from asthma. He was on oxygen 24/7. He had respiratory distress and two days later he was gone. I'm glad we went to see them the day after Easter this year and got to spend some time with him. We'll stay at the Residence Inn again in Lebanon, so at least the girls will be able to use the pool. One bright side to a somber road trip.

So grab your family members and hold the close. Tell 'em you love them. Life is short and very, very fragile.

Getting the Most Out of April

We’ve had a very busy few weeks, but before I get into it, I want to give a shout-out to my Mom, who celebrated her 75th birthday on the 14th. Happy Birthday, Mom! Wish we could be there to celebrate in person.

Let’s see, where do we begin? Brigid has decided she is in fact the boss of us and has spent the last few weeks perfecting her “This is an order!” voice, to which I usually reply, “I beg your pardon?” She then drops the voice, her eyes and the attitude and asks, “May I please want a jelly bean?” That evolved from “May I please have,” but I don’t correct her because she has “may I” and “please” in the same sentence.

In all of this ordering around, she has developed a little empathy and has started saying, “I’m sorry, Mommy,” even when she has nothing to apologize for. It’s very, very cute and a little touching when she does have something to apologize for.


On Saturday, April 4, Jack took Brigid so the girls and I could go to a day crop to work on scrapbook pages. It was a lot of fun, and it’s nice to have something that they like to do with me. It was a dull and rainy day, so spending it indoors for six hours working on scrapbook pages was a nice way to pass the time. The harbinger of spring, the annual Sanger's Pancake Breakfast, followed for dinner. Pancakes in a tent -- can't beat that! Plus, the syrup was fresh and hot. Yum.

The girls started their spring break on Good Friday, so I did what any good Catholic would do – went shopping. I took Brigid to the center at the usual time. Jack said he would pick her up in the afternoon, and that freed me up to take Margaret and Patricia to Burlington for the day. We visited a new scrapbook store over there – the owner is one of the vendors at the crops we go to. We went to Ben Franklin and stopped at the Dress Barn so the girls could shop for Easter dresses. Lunch at the Olive Garden was quite nice. It was a lovely girls’ day out, and we thank Dad profusely for giving us the chance without having to rush back to pick Brigid up.
The next day Jack took all three girls on the first hike of the season, and Brigid’s first hike, period. She was a trooper, Jack said, and climbed the first three-quarters of the way up by herself. She surrendered to fatigue and let Jack put her in the backpack carrier for the rest of the way. Meanwhile, I had a funeral to attend, and although it wasn’t a joyous occasion, it was a relief not to have to attend with a fidgety Brigid to contend with.


That afternoon, the girls colored Easter eggs, and Brigid seemed to enjoy watching them go from stark white to various shades of blue, green, yellow and red. Egg salad sandwiches are in our future for days to come.


We had been talking to Brigid about Easter for a while, and she got the idea that she would have a basket and eggs, but it wasn’t until Easter morning, when the other two showed her what to do and how to hunt for her basket that she finally realized what it entailed. When they found the Easter eggs scattered around the house, she had great fun. But finding the basket with candy in it made her day. We dressed up for church, and Brigid loved being a pretty princess in the dress she got for her birthday.
The girls were on the altar so their dresses were under wraps, but they all looked beautiful. Jack had to work on Easter Sunday, but I made dinner for the family and his parents. A delicious spiral ham topped the meal, and I made a lemon meringue pie. Being in my third week of Weight Watchers, I couldn’t partake, but it looked great. Speaking of Weight Watchers, I decided three weeks ago to take the plunge. The weight I gained with Brigid isn’t going anywhere on its own, and, although she is a wonderful bonus baby, I can’t use her as an excuse forever. She’ll be in college and I’ll still be saying, “But I had a baby” in response to the weight gain.

The day after Easter, all three girls and I headed down to White River Junction, Vt., to visit with my college friend, Kathleen, and her family. When she comes east from California, we trade visits – it was our turn to go down. So I got a suite at the Residence Inn and the girls and I made it a mini-vacation overnight. We had a great visit, and the girls spent the afternoon in the pool while Kathleen and I visited on the deck. The next day, we gathered at Pizza Hut for lunch before getting on the road. I took the long way home to end up near Glens Falls. I had some shopping I wanted to do before heading back north. It was a glorious day, so traveling in Vermont and New York wasn’t too bad. Brigid was a gem on the trip for the most part, singing happily in her car seat. We stopped a few times for snacks. It’s amazing, but no matter where we are, if we’re in sight of a Stewart’s shop, she recognizes it and asks for hot dogs.

Margaret and Patricia will spend tonight at Grandma and Granddad Downs’ house. They’re going to the lake for the day tomorrow to help get it ready for the season and then tomorrow night, Jack is taking them to the planetarium for a show of the nighttime sky. We’ve had glorious days this week and hopefully, the temperatures will rise so that he can take them out to really see the nighttime sky.

Daddy Endures a Close Shave

Jack pointed out to me that I posted the photos of him bringing up the rear of the trike and didn't mention the absence of facial hair. So, to make it official, I am posting before and after photos and will explain the timeline. It was Brigid's birthday and as she was opening her gifts, I handed Jack a gift of his own -- an early Father's Day present -- that he had mentioned dozens of times in the recent past: a new electric razor. He has mentioned wanting to shave for a while now, so since I was putting an Amazon order together, I added it then. That weekend, I walked in the house and a new man stood before me. Margaret and Patricia were thrown a bit. Brigid? She took it in stride. She hasn't said a word about it. Not one word.

So, without further adieu, submitted for your approval:

Before:


After: