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 My little baby has been replaced by an intelligent, rational (and sometimes irrational) conversational little person who has taken to telling me she loves me all the time – except when she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.