Quotes Worth Posting

The girls bid me goodnight in their own signature ways last night (my apologies to those who already read these quotes on facebook):

JULIA: Mom, you're the light of my love and the love of my life, and I would never want any other mommy.
ME: Oh, well you're the light of MY life!  And I would never want any other family besides Daddy, you and Madeleine.  I'm so happy you're my daughter.
JULIA: (lovingly) And Mama, I think Courtney is a BEAUTIFUL name.

I think that's even sweeter than her thinking my pimples are beautiful.

MADELEINE: (eyes fluttering closed, then open again, eyeballs rolling back as eyelids flutter closed, then eyelids fluttering open again.)
ME: (snuggled up against her) Shhhh.  It's okay.  Go to sleep.
MADELEINE: (eyes suddenly snapping open) Mom! STOP DOING THAT!
ME: Stop doing what?
MADELEINE: Stop doing THAT THING!
ME: What thing?
MADELEINE: THAT THING!
ME: What thing am I doing?
MADELEINE: Stop DOING THAT!
ME: What am I doing?
MADELEINE: THAAAAAAT THING!
ME: I'm not doing anything.
MADELEINE: Stop chewing my HAIR!
ME: I'm not chewing your hair, honey.
MADELEINE: Someone's chewing my HAAAAIR!
ME: Nobody's chewing your hair honey.  Shhhh.
MADELEINE: No, I hear someone CHEWING MY HAIR!  (eyelids beginning to flutter, then droop closed.)
ME: (kissing her cheek) I love you.
MADELEINE: (completely still, totally conked.)

Her sign-off to her dad and sister was a little less hallucinatory, although not particularly loving either.  As Julia and Ethan came in to say goodnight, just as I was settling in for Madeleine's pre-sleep snuggles, we wound up in a four person pile on the bed, all giving Madeleine kisses on her cheeks.

MADELEINE: But WHY are there so many NOSES?

Whoops.  Sorry.  Okay, we'll back off.

Meanwhile, on to other blog-worthy quotes.  It seems we have finally turned the corner in terms of Madeleine's sheer and utter terror of Auntie Shannon's teacup chihuahua, Clara.  On every recent occasion, upon discussing Clara, Madeleine and I wind up having this exchange:

ME: But do you like Clara, Madeleine?
MADELEINE: Um... NO.

Yesterday, as Julia made pretend phone calls to her Aunties to tell them she misses them and wants them to come visit, Madeleine decided to pipe up with a comment about Clara peeing on our rug during Easter weekend, an incident about which Madeleine loves to perseverate.

MADELEINE: But... Auntie Shannon said "NO, NO PEE ON THE PAPER TOWEL!" to Clara.
ME: That's right, she did.  But Madeleine, do you like Clara?
MADELEINE: Um... YES.  But... NOT MUCH.  Not ALL of her.

Now I've gotta say, that shows progress.

Julia, meanwhile, has regressed a bit and is once again fearful of her old nemesis, the thunderstorm.  We had a slew of severe thunderstorms hit our area yesterday, beginning while Julia was at camp, and continuing into early evening.  While I cooked dinner, a tremendously loud clap of thunder shook the house, causing Julia to spontaneously burst into terrified tears.  As I sat trying to explain to her that we were safe in our house, and that furthermore, thunder is just a sound that's produced when hot and cold air currents collide, she whimpered, "But Mama, I thought thunder can, like, EXPLODE your house apart!"

Well, I guess I can't expect her to abandon ALL her fears overnight.  Hopefully, however, she won't revert to full-out refusal to leave the house any time there are the merest of gray clouds overhead.  Maybe I can teach her to like thunderstorms, but NOT MUCH.  Just not ALL of them.