Morning Mania

For the past few weeks, Ethan has been encouraging Julia to get up and tend to herself on weekend mornings if she awakes before her parents.  While she has long self-entertained in her bedroom until 7am (the time we optimistically suggest she try to "sleep" until on weekends), she has still felt the need to come get us the minute the clock strikes 7am.  Often before.  It's not uncommon to find her hanging out silently in my bedroom staring at the clock on our cable box, waiting like a herald to announce the time once it turns to 7.  There are two aspects of Julia's personality that, I believe, cause her to want her parents around when she gets up in the morning.  For one, she just likes being around other people.  She's not a solitary kid.  She is happiest when she has a loved one in the same room with her, preferably one who can listen to her yap away about the various random thoughts running through her brain.  And secondly, she is a total rule-follower.  I truly think a big part of why she doesn't get up on her own is that she's so afraid of doing something wrong - getting herself the wrong breakfast, watching more tv than she's supposed to, etc.  At any rate, Ethan has been strongly encouraging her to give independence a try, assuring her that she is indeed old enough to do a lot of the above-mentioned things without parental supervision.

So, lo and behold, what day does Julia pick to try out her new-found independence?  Today!  Thursday!  The morning after I stayed up later than I should have watching a movie with Ethan.  What time did she get up?  Who knows!  What time did she wake ME up?  8am!  What time do we leave for school on Thursdays?  8:15!  Good times rushing about in mad, frenzied panic this morning.

To backtrack a moment, I honestly do commend Julia for doing such a good job on her own this morning.  I love the fact that she wanted to let me sleep.  I don't love the fact that I overslept.  My fault, ultimately, but I've gotten so used to my little early bird chirping in my ear at the crack of dawn that I don't even set an alarm anymore.

At any rate, when Julia arrived in my bedroom this morning, she pleasantly suggested it was a good time for me to get up.

JULIA: Uh, Mama, I was thinking you might want to get up now.
ME: What time is it?
JULIA: Seven-five-eight.

No biggie, I thought.  She is always mixed-up between a digital 2 and a digital 5.

ME: You mean seven-TWO-eight?
JULIA: Uh...well...Mama...well, it's facing THIS way.  (drawing something in the air.)

I then sat up to see the clock for myself, and immediately began scrambling out of bed.  Julia, oblivious to my panic, followed me downstairs, cheerfully filling me on on how her morning had been.  "Mama, Daddy says I should try getting up MYSELF, so I did this morning!  And Mama, I got my OWN Golden Grahams, but Mama, I didn't know how to change the channel, and so I just watched the channel that was on and it was 'Peep and the Big Wide World' and even though we don't WATCH that show I just decided to watch it anyways so I wouldn't have to wake you up to change the channel.  But MAMA, the reason why I thought you might want to get up now is that I heard Madeleine was up and I thought she wouldn't want to miss Curious George."

So, with fifteen minutes before we were to leave for school, with both kids still in their pjs (one still in her BED, in fact), I knew I had to forgo my own breakfast and coffee until after the kids were at school.  Rushing around the kitchen making lunches for both girls' lunchboxes, I asked Julia to get herself dressed.

"Uh, I just want to get dressed LATER," she helpfully informed me.  I warned her that it was now or never, and in between making grilled cheese and throwing fruit and juices into lunchboxes, I got Madeleine up and got her dressed in the outfit we had picked out the night before: a Halloween shirt and black pants.  Next thing I know, Julia had emerged from her room, dressed in her usual favorite style, a skirt over leggings.

Uh-oh.  Suddenly the Halloween outfit was totally lame.  "I need a SKIIIIIIRT!  Mommy, I need a SKIIIIIIIRT!"  Madeleine wailed, falling to the ground in a complete inability to cope with the uncoolness of her currrent outfit.  All the while, I was attempting to do Julia's hair in her requested style of a little braid.  "Ouch!  Mama!  You're HURRRRTING me!" Julia wailed as I brushed her hair.  I apologized and explained that I was in a rush, to which she wisely pointed out, "Well, Mama, maybe you should have, like, done our hair EARLIER so you wouldn't have to do it in a RUSH now."

As I instructed Julia to put on her shoes, Madeleine continued her lament over needing a skirt, and when I heard Julia go running upstairs instead of down to the car, I feared big sister was attempting to go find a quick outfit change for little sister.  What followed next was about five minutes of time wasted on the most ridiculous argument EVER.

ME: Julia!  Get down here!  What are you doing?
JULIA: I'm COLD!
ME: What?
JULIA: (coming down the stairs pouting)  I'm COLD!  I was getting my sweatshirt from my ROOM!
ME: Okay, go get it.
JULIA: (crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly) FORGET IT.
ME: Just go get it!
JULIA: NO!  YOU DON'T WANT ME TO!
ME: It's fine, honey.  Go get it!
JULIA: No.  I'm NOT GETTING IT!
MADELEINE: I need a SKIIIIIIIIRT!

Once I had successfully convinced Julia to get her sweatshirt, we bustled down to the car, me carrying both kids' lunchboxes, both kids' backpacks, Madeleine's jacket, and Dora Mermaid, who Madeleine insisted on bringing along in the car and who she supposedly couldn't carry down the stairs without falling.  It was at this point, as we all trekked down the stairs, that Madeleine decided she absolutely needed her jacket on that minute.  I explained that I couldn't put it on right then and that we were in a rush, which only exacerbated her frantic need, causing yet another sobbing, collapsing melt-down.  Too bad, kid.  I added her to the pile of things I was carrying and plopped her into her car seat, driving off towards Julia's school with Madeleine wailing from the back seat the whole time.  The happy ending to the crazy morning is that both kids made it to school on time, and Mommy had a little down time at home once the drop-offs were done.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are always a bit hectic in the morning, seeing as I'm toting both kids off to different schools.  Wednesdays are a little calmer, as Julia has school all day but Madeleine does not; therefore, Madeleine and I get a lot of one-on-one time home together.  Yesterday, during our time hanging out at home playing together, she took out her play-kitchen pizza set and "cooked" me a delicious pizza, which she served me slice by slice.  She then announced to me how she had made it: "I just...SANG a DINNER SONG, and that's how I made your pizza!"  She subsequently broke out in a performance of her dinner song, which she was kind enough to repeat for me on camera:



The Rowe household: where impromptu, made-up songs about random topics are completely run-of-the-mill.  (Also where fairy wings and a tutu are perfectly acceptable outfit choices.)