Many of you, by now, have heard about our daughters imaginary friends, McGleet and McGloot. They are often accompanied by other imaginary girls, Ma-lisa, Maleeesa, Lucia, and any other name that happens to hang around that day. There have been "friends" who have been around for a few minutes and left, and then there is also Churna who introduced McGleet to our family and never came back. But McGleet has been around ever since that day in July when Churna brought her over to play. As a parent who's college degree is in child development and family studies, I always worry about the reasons behind a child's reasons for each behavior. Some of you may remember how I freaked out when Marin was about 14 months old and started pulling her hair when she was mad. I was convinced this was a result of so many people, strangers and friends, always talking about her red hair. "Its just too much attention for a small child to handle" I would say overly concerned to Todd. This phase lasted for about 2 weeks and probably had nothing to do with her flaming hair drawing so much attention.
With the onset of her imaginary friends I was convinced they arrived as a result of loneliness. I was a firm believer in having siblings be less than 3 years apart. There is a lot of research data out there that says kids farther apart than that are not "playmates" for each other. Let me be clear, the data says "playmates" this is different than an older child playing
with a younger child, or helping the younger child, or loving the younger child. Once children breach 3.5/4 years their developmental stages do not overlap until young adulthood. Many siblings have reported the discovery of new friendships when they all reach adulthood and are figuring out adult life together. Many said it was becoming parents together that brought about their friendships with each other. My life plan was to have kids about 2.5 years apart so that they would be life long buddies. Because my life plans always work out... right. Well this plan was not God's plan for us, and as a result of a miscarriage, unemployment, living in a guest house for 8 months (which Todd likes to call our year of homelessness because we did not have our own address) we put off baby making or for the sake of this story, sibling making, until things in our life had some sort of a direction. (I would like to insert here, and this is whole different post topic, that "direction" in our life did not mean calmness or having anything really figured out. And after our last year we keep thinking, "surly we are crazy for adding another person to this family when we are just now getting our feet under ourselves. Are we crazy?)
OK back to McGleet. I was sure Marin brought about these friends because she was lonely, in need of a partner, a friend who was with her at all time, a sibling. She was mad at us for not giving her a playmate that lived with us. All of you who chose college training that has nothing to do with children are very thankful you don't have to stress out about such things you have read about in text books. Now that her "friends" have been around for almost 9 months I have given these additional people much thought. I am not convinced these friends appeared out of loneliness, Marin has more good friends than I can count, and the month McGleet arrived was mid summer and we were in the swing of daily swimming dates with friends. Marin also had her daddy at her side one hundred percent of her day. They were inseparable playmates as he was unemployed and I was working lots of extra hours. After 9 months of these characters being a part of our lives I am very sure these friends are a result of a child having the TIME to invent such things, and creativity. And maybe a little bit of not having a sibling playmate yet. However these friends have arrived they are here for a while and I am going to put a few conversations on here that result from these characters being in our lives.
M: "Mommy McGleet just got out of her car seat, she's not buckled!"
Me: Marin tell McGleet to get back into her seat, I cannot pull over right now and do it myself
M: McGleet get back in your seat!
M: She's not listening and she's trying to get in the front
Me: McGleet if I have to throw you out the window I will
M: Mommy she's sitting in the front seat on her bottom now
Dinner last night
M: Mommy McGleet is throwing food!
Me: McGleet stop throwing food
M: She's not stopping
Me: Marin if your friends cannot obey our house rules they need to go home. Do I need to call McGleets mommy and tell her to come and get her?
Todd: Some day when our child is committed for still talking to imaginary friends they are going to blame you for talking to them too
Dinner a few weeks ago:
M: McGleet and McGloot's mommy had a baby last night at home, in a birf tub with midwifes. The midwifes came over to the house and the babies were born in the water.
Me: Oh I didn't know their mommy was even pregnant
M: yeah and the mommy had a boy and a girl
many times Marin's friends get what she wishes she had. Marin has said several times she wants "one of each" a boy and a girl.
Surly her parents are normal enough to handle most all situations... right.
OK more to come. Must clean my home!
does an 'E' have? Five if you are Marin! I found this little paper on the table the other day after Marin had asked me how to spell "Owen". Aside from that wonderful letter 'E' I also love the location of the 'N' its above the rest of the letters, I guess she must have run out of room with all those long 'E' legs!
Marin and her new little brother, maybe his hair is not as red as hers, hmmmm
Owen you are so cute
Happy Birthday Owen! Our friend Stephanie made us a birthday cake. We had just gotten all the supplies to make Owens welcome cake and then he was born early. Stephanie knew this and brought us a cake the day he was born, she included hats and a "0" candle! Eating cake was probably one of Marin favorite parts of the whole birth... but then who doesn't love eating cake?
Marin got to come in for the cord cutting and then in big sister style assisted with the newborn assessment, in her Tinkerbell p.j.'s. 
The midwives left Daddy, Mama, Marin and Owen tucked into bed after a night of labor. Marin has had a costume change from her p.j.'s to a party dress. Owen had a costume change too, out of his birthday suit and into a sleeper.
