Walking Girl and Working Girl

Mary is finally and truly walking!  It only took 16 months, but she's no longer screaming like a banshee if we set her down on her feet.  It's even her preferred mode of getting around now.  It seemed like that would never happen.  She is still clinging to my hip 99% of the time, but the other 1% is now spent walking!  Yippee for our Walking Girl!

While Mary is walking, Bridget has been working.  As I've mentioned (and belabored the point), Bridget needs to be busy if we are to have any peace in our household.  Somehow -- magically! -- Happy Bridget comes out to play when she has a craft or a project to work on.  Lately, I've been capitalizing on this, and she's had a lot of work to do.  She doesn't mind at all.  Make 12 instruments out of paper and tape?  No problem.  Make glasses from anything you have on hand?  No sweat.  Make a tedious design on the sandbox bench at the park?  Check.  Cut out 50 coupons?  Yes!  (Why didn't I think of this before? And I guess this would be the point where I admit to even having that many coupons that need to be cut...)  Anything that will keep her busy and give her some purpose.  In fact, she is usually the one to come up with these "jobs," and is all too willing to get them done.

      

    

Here she is after deciding that she needed to educate people (her simple family) on how to make an "8."  She spent a lot of time making the sign and then marching around the house with her know-it-all-ness.  Thank God she did this.  I was really worried if I was making mine the right way.

While Bridget has always had a couple pet names in this family (Bridgey, Bridgey Widgey), she has some newer ones that she approves of.  On the list of acceptable names are:  Crafty Girl, Freckles, Dimples, 20 Questions and now, at her request...Working Girl.  You want us to call you Working Girl, Bridget?  Yes. We can do that :) I think this is too funny to not latch onto and run with.  Considering the amount of ridiculous drama she creates every day, I will think of this as a small victory, and it guarantees me a little smile every time I call her by that name.

So, yes, she can be a working girl for now.  For later, though?  She has a plan for that, too.  A few days ago, I jokingly told her that I'm sure she's going to be an actress and an artist when she grows up.  She glanced up from her masterpiece of the millisecond with a very serious face, nodded and agreed. "Yes. And a singer."  Oh my.

Watch out, world.  Bridget Stecher AKA Working Girl is coming,