Weather Turns Colder as We Get Busier

It's been a long time coming, but Brigid has a cold. We've been relatively illness-free (knock on wood) but the poor baby is having a hard time breathing and it's not just seasonal allergies, although she's plagued by those, too. She doesn't deal well with wetness on or in her nose because of her bad nosebleeds. Anytime she feels anything running, she thinks she's bleeding, and who can blame her? Most of the time, she is.

It's getting colder out, more fall-like, and I'm having a huge battle of wills every day over what she wants to wear. If it was up to Brigid, she'd wear nothing but shorts and tee shirts, a compromise on running around naked. But now that it's getting cold, she can't be wearing shorts and tee shirts to school every day. So every morning she asks for shorts and tee shirts and I have to be the meanie mom and say no, it's too cold, it's not summer anymore. And because she is insisting on doing everything herself, dressing has become a true marathon some mornings.

We had some nice weather last week and she was able to wear summer clothes, but by Friday last week, it had turned cold and rainy, the day her class went to the apple orchard (of course). So we had to bundle up, and that was a huge issue. But she enjoyed herself regardless, and spent more time riding the kid rides and looking at the animals than we did in the orchard picking apples.

The other girls are doing very well in school. Margaret has adjusted to the trauma that is high school (whew!) just as I expected. She's involved in so much -- band, chorus, Key Club, which is a community-service oriented organization where the kids have to do so many hours of volunteer work. She has also started confirmation class at church and as part of the requirements, she'll have community service there as well. She walks over to the day care center when school lets out and I pick both Brigid and Margaret up about 3:30 each day, so she's gotten approval to use her time there for volunteer hours. She helps in the classroom or out on the playground, depending on where the kids are when she arrives. She already has more than 20 hours from helping with the book sale at the church festival, so she's doing fine. Her classes are going well, and she's maintaining a solid "A" average throughout. I'm very proud of her.

Patricia loves her classes. She has all of Margaret's former teachers, so they all knew her previously. The big leaf project has begun for her in science class -- they have to collect at least 25 pairs of leaves from various trees and ID them in various ways. If this doesn't make a mom's heart swell with pride, the teacher used Margaret's leaf project from 7th grade as an example of what to do. Patricia's math teacher told us the night of the open house how happy he was to have another Downs girl in his class. She started taking tennis lessons in intramurals twice a week and seems to love it.

Speaking of classes, dance class started last week for all of us, and Brigid is in heaven. She ran into class, gave Miss Nancy a big hug and just beamed the whole class. When it was finished, she cried because she wanted to go back. Tap and jazz are in full swing, as well, for both Margaret and Patricia and myself. The year has officially begun.

New School, New Phone ... What More Could You Ask For?

Well, the girls survived the first day of school yesterday and managed to come out unscathed. Margaret was a nervous wreck, but the high school planned a day of abbreviated classes and fun activities for the rest of the day. She met her teachers and was able to get from class to class without being late or without incident. She has a few friends in her classes whom she knows, so she feels a little comfortable there. Today will be a test because it’s a regular full day. I expect her to be very, very tired – if only from carrying around that massive backpack. But at least she doesn’t have all the binders she had to have from middle school. Some of the classes don’t require them.

To signify the importance of her entry into high school, we took a big step and presented her with a cell phone. (I know, I know. It’s against my better judgment and all I hold holy. I gave in to her father and agreed.) It’s a Virgin Mobile phone like mine, so it only has as much on it as you put; if you use it up, you have to add more money. She has rules and regulations regarding its usage and faces the consequences of having it taken away if she doesn’t use it properly. Plus, I can check her activity on line and she knows it. But she’s a responsible girl with a good head on her shoulders. She feels responsible and mature – more so now that we’ve given her this show of confidence – so I really don’t have any worries.

Margaret did join Key Club on the first day, something we all thought would be a good move on her part. It’s a community-service-based organization affiliated with Kiwanis. Looks good on a resume and gets her out of her shell a little more. Plus, it helps the community and the school. A perfect combination.

Patricia faced her first day with less anxiety. She was placed in the global citizens team, which we all wanted, so she was happy and relieved. She loves her teachers but of course, because Margaret was a global citizen, they all know her and she knew them for the most part as well. It will be interesting to see how she fares in the school without the shadow of her big sister there. She’s very excited about a writing program she was accepted into. This is the girl who scored a perfect 100 on her state assessment in English.

Brigid continues to thrive in Kathy and Debbie’s preschool room. She loves it there, and so do we. It’s a wonderful class – full of activity and fun. Kathy is always coming up with great ideas for the kids. This week is nursery rhyme week and every day they do a different activity that corresponds with a story they read. Yesterday was a book about three kitties who paint with their tails, so Kathy brought in cattails so the kids “could paint with their tails.” Tomorrow, they’re reading the Three Little Pigs, so the kids are making pigs in a blanket. How clever is that?

Baby B’s potty success continues, so we’re breathing a sigh of relief that it’s no fluke; she really is a big girl now. She takes pride in her accomplishments, and is now enjoying being able to dress herself (after a fashion. She may still get the leg holes wrong on her underwear {or wonderwear} but hey, who doesn’t?) Her vocabulary is off the charts and is now just a regular kid, talking up a storm and having interesting, sometimes serious, thoughtful conversations. She loves to make up stories that traverse from Point A to Point K with a whole lot of interesting details in between. I love listening to her ramblings. Her pronunciations are sometimes off, and she still swaps consonants, but she’s getting stronger and speaks many words and sounds very carefully. It will be interesting to see how she develops as a preschooler over the months.