Queen Bridget

There is a definite hierarchy in our household.  Megan will always be the oldest.  And, try as she might to be grouped with Megan, Bridget will always be kid number 2, and, essentially, our middle child.  This does not sit well with her most of the time!  She bristles when their age difference is mentioned, and takes offense when Megan orders anything "oldest to youngest," so insulted is she to be second in line.  In an attempt to narrow the gap, she pushes Megan's buttons constantly by suggesting that she's also four and a half years old.  As close as this little set of "big girls" are, and as agreeable as Megan is most of the time, age is a point that Megan absolutely won't concede.  This usually ends with someone crying and insisting that she is four and a half and Bridget is only 3!!

So, anytime Bridget can be the (one and only) big kid, she relishes the opportunity.  And, when I say she relishes it, I mean she truly acts like she is the queen over her little minions Tessa and Annie.  Her chance at this lordship comes three times a week while Megan is in preschool.  These are the three days that Bridget does not go to school, and she plans out these three hour blocks like she's putting together a travel itinerary.  "First, we'll go home and play!  I'll get to play with the big dollhouse, but the pieces are too small for Tessa and Annie, so I get to play in my room, and the babies can't come in!  After that, we'll put it away, and they can come in and we'll play doctor.  I will be the doctor!" Or, "Okay, after Megan gets out of the car, let's go to that store with the red balls (Target!) and you can get me some cake at that coffee store.  But, Mommy, can you carry me in the carrier?"  (I guess the biggest kids can still be carried.)

Today, our game plan included a dance party back at our house, with Bridget leading the party.  She got to turn the pages in the book that corresponds with the music CD.  This is a privilege that she usually needs to negotiate with Megan for, and usually doesn't win.  Obviously, she was pretty excited!

And, to round out her perfect morning, we even vacuumed. Her idea, not mine ;)

While she worked and danced, Queen Bridget's loyal subjects stayed out of her way.  Tessa hit the books,



with her little friend Dora, who is never very far away, and most often in her pocket.  She even sleeps with Dora clutched tightly in her fist.  This all started about two weeks ago.  Boy, we thought we were lucky to have bypassed pacifiers all together with these babies, but Dora is throwing a wrench in our plans of never having to worry about losing or finding tiny sleep aids.  Oh, man!!  ;)

Queen Bridget also allowed Annie to play with the Little People cars. So far, Annie is proving to be very imaginative.  She loves to zoom cars around, and make the sounds that go with it (this is very boyish, and very foreign to me!), but also loves to stand little dolls up next to each other and have them dance together.  I don't remember Megan or Bridget doing that at 18 months, but, then again, I also barely remember what I wore today. Anyway, here she is, zooming with her cars.

Bridget's reign ended at exactly 11:45am this morning when Megan jumped back in the van after school.  When Teacher Rita peered in the van after delivering Megan (yes, have I mentioned this service that makes my life about a zillion times easier??), she looked in at the four of us and casually said, "Wow, you guys look like you haven't even moved since drop-off this morning!" Little does Rita know, a lot happened for Bridget while Megan was at school!! :)