On With the Show, This is It!

As hard as it is to believe, our Baby B is now a four-year-old. She was so excited for Friday to come, she went to bed the night before saying, "I have to get to sleep because I don't want to miss my birthday." (I told her that her birthday won't come if she doesn't get to sleep the night before). When she got up, it was the first thing she talked about -- her birthday. I had picked up a bouquet of balloons and hung up her hand-painted "Happy Birthday, Brigid" sign in the living room. She was very excited and couldn't wait to get dressed. Last year, I found a Baby Gap long-sleeved tee shirt that says "Birthday Girl." It still fit. The pants with the birthday cakes on them, however, are a bit high water, but she wanted to wear them both to school. We made cup cakes the night before for her to bring to class.

When she got there, she couldn't wait to show Debbie and Kathy her Birthday Girl shirt and the kids were all very happy to see Brigid, hug her and wish her a happy birthday. They were also very happy to see they were getting cupcakes later.

The day went by well -- Brigid had a lot of birthday love throughout the day, but it was a very busy, over-scheduled weekend, so her birthday celebration with family won't be until next Saturday, the 20th. Later in the evening, Margaret's play, West Side Story, opened; Patricia's drama club performance was that night, too; and I had my dance class. So, I brought Margaret to the high school for a 4:30 call. Jack, Patricia, Brigid and I grabbed some pizza and got Patricia to the middle school for her 6 p.m. call. I got changed for dance class, and we went to see Patricia in two short scenes in a production called, "Middle School Choices." It was very cute, and, mercifully for me, short because I was able to make it to my dance class without having missed too much. At this stage, because we're getting closer to the recital, every class is an important one.

Margaret had a great opening night. She was so excited, but she also got a little emotional after when she found out the cast was going to Friendly's and we didn't know about it. However, after she got home, I jumped in the car and got her there in time to join up with the crew. I sat in the outer part of the restaurant with a glass of iced tea, waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting. It was 11:30 before things were starting to break up and I motioned for her it was time to go. I wished I had thought to bring a book. The next night we would make better arrangements.

We all went to see the show Saturday night and we weren't disappointed. It's a hard musical to do, and the cast did an exceptional job. Margaret was a Jet girl and danced and struck an attitude that made her stand out from the rest of the cast, in my opinion. She looked so pretty and mature. When my pictures are developed, I'll add some from the show. Brigid was a very good girl to sit for a show that ran two and a half hours. Afterward, the cast went to the Ground Round, so we dropped Margaret off and this time, told her I'd be out there to pick her up at 11:30. That was the smartest arrangement. She was beaming when she came out to the car later.

We turned the clocks ahead (I hate that) so that Sunday morning felt odd. Margaret had an 11:30 a.m. call. The girls were supposed to serve on the altar at church today, so we already knew Margaret wouldn't be there. Patricia was supposed to have religion class before mass, but I found out when we were getting up that she had been up all night throwing up. No fever, no other symptoms, just throwing up. So she obviously didn't go to religion or mass. I took Brigid with me while Jack went to work so he could come home in the afternoon to allow me to go back to see Margaret's last performance. They did an equally exceptional job. When it was over, the crew had to strike the set and then head over to the cast party. Margaret was so exhausted but very sad to see the entire production come to an end. As she said it, it was like a family that she wasn't going to see much of anymore. Most of the cast are upperclassmen, so she won't have them in her classes to visit with. But it will also mean she can look forward to three more years of being in drama club and on stage. I'm so glad it was a positive experience for her. And as for Brigid, she'll enjoy having birthday month and as a result, won't feel short-changed from the shift in attention on her actual birthday. It's win-win.

See What Happens When You Blink? It Turns Into March

Can’t believe Brigid will be four years old in two days. Four years old! Where did the time go? My little baby has been replaced by an intelligent, rational (and sometimes irrational) conversational little person who has taken to telling me she loves me all the time – except when she doesn’t – and can understand complex concepts that involve humor and irony.

She asks me every night when she’s going to be what happens when she wakes up the next day – in other words, what is on tap for the next day. Is it a school day? A dance class day? Swim class day or church day? She likes to have a plan, likes to know what to expect. She understands if she doesn’t go to sleep, the next day is a long time in coming. Last weekend, she attended my friend's daughter's birthday party and wanted to know all about what she would be doing there. She likes to talk about familial relationships – Margaret and Patricia are her sisters; Daddy is called Jack and is her daddy; Mommy is called Gerianne and is her mommy. Cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all discussed, too. She likes the idea of family.

She is still a little Bossy McBossy, and is quick to apologize when she’s being chastised, but usually for her own gain if she thinks it’s going to smooth over a timeout. She knows how to manipulate the system, in other words. She loves to sing – she’s always singing – and sings well, in tune and with a beat. She’ll sing from the soundtrack of “Mama Mia” and then launch into “Here We Go Loop de Lou” from school.

In two weeks, she gets to be “Friend of the Week” at school where the friend picks out movies to watch, activities like dress-up day or pajama day. We have to give some thought about what Brigid is going to want to do when she’s friend of the week.

She loves Wednesdays, dance-class day, when she can tap and run around in Miss Nancy’s class. Miss Nancy has taught thousands of North Country kids how to dance – kids who are now parents and grandparents of kids in tap class. We got Brigid’s tap costume last week and it is adorable. All set for recital week, the first weekend in June.

Margaret and Patricia did exceptionally well this past quarter, with each earning top grades. You can’t get much better than an A+ average (Patricia) and 100 percent in everything (Margaret). They’ve both been incredibly busy with their drama activities, and both, unfortunately, have their opening show Friday night, Brigid’s birthday. Margaret has been working like crazy for “West Side Story.” This week itself is hell week for her, with rehearsals every day from 5 until 10 p.m. On Sunday, she was there from noon until 10 p.m. It’s insane, but it will all wind down on Friday with the opening curtain. It seems like so much work for three shows.

Patricia’s drama club production is one night only, Friday. It’s two short scenes and she’s in both of them, not so much because she’s crazy about being in the shows but because they just didn’t have enough people to cast them. But the work doesn’t end there. They both have chorus and band concerts coming up this month as well. They’ll be ready for a vacation in April when it’s all done.

As for me, the wrist is slowly healing. It’s still aching, still catches and sends jolts of pain up my arm, but the surgeon said it will take a few months before I realize how much better it really is. There’s no doubt that it’s better than it was before the surgery. The question remains how much better it will get from here on out.

Jack is teaching two classes this semester in addition to his regular gig at the paper. It’s exhausting and all-consuming. But he’s good at it. It’s hard to believe the semester is halfway over. May will be here before we know it and the college school year will be done, quickly followed by recital and then the end of the girls’ school year. Wow. No wonder Brigid is almost four! The time has just gotten away from us.