JULIA: Mommy? Madeleine is trying to take ALL the stuffed animals that are MINE, and I keep telling her those are NOT her toys, but she's still not giving them back.
In I went, like the police, to sort out this issue of stolen property. Since both girls were sleeping with five stuffed animal friends apiece (Julia: Kitty, Other Kitty, Bear-Bear, Fleecia, and Puppy Doggy; Madeleine: Cowie, Kitty, My Own Bear-Bear, Puddles, and Pillow-Pet Bear), I can understand why they felt like they needed to keep strict rations on their sleep-time companions.
Madeleine, who was sobbing because Julia left the room to go get me, could only be consoled by laying on my chest and crying into my shoulder. Julia was happy as soon as she got her stuffed animal friends in order, and as I attempted to sneak my way back to my own room, I slid Madeleine off of my person and onto her pillow. I thought that if I stayed in bed next to both girls for a few more minutes, they'd lull back into sleep and I could make my escape.
Madeleine found that to be unacceptable.
MADELEINE: (urgently) Mommy! Can you do that the OTHER way?
ME: Can I do what?
MADELEINE: Can you do that the OTHER way?
ME: Do what the other way?
MADELEINE: (verge of tears) I want you to do that the OTHER way!
ME: What, you mean lay you on top of me to snuggle you?
MADELEINE: (visibly relieved) Yeah! Because it's CUTER that way.
ME: Okay. (hoisting her up to snuggle on top of me.)
MADELEINE: (assured) Yeah. This way is CUTER.
Luckfully, I finally got out of there and back to sleep in my bed, without any further interruptions from the girls. And a good thing, too, as we had a busy morning, heading off to church, followed by a Christmas pageant rehearsal after the service. Auntie Shannon, Blake and I got to watch the chaos that ensued when trying to get a herd of little kids to figure out what to do and when.
The job of the five angels is to make music after Jesus is born, and Julia held up her end beautifully, playing a solo verse of "Joy to the World" on the piano before joining the other kids in singing the lyrics afterwards:
Madeleine contributed to the music in her own way, opting to twirl around and sing "Away in a Manger," complete with the hand gestures she learned at nursery school, despite the fact that the song is not part of the pageant and she was singing it while other people were reciting their lines. However, when it came time for all the kids to sing "Joy to the World," Madeleine preferred to march to the beat of her own drum and refuse to sing along, regardless of her confident solo rendition of "Away in a Manger" minutes earlier.
After we returned home from church and had lunch, Julia was heartbroken to learn that Auntie Shannon and Blake were leaving shortly for a bus to their respective hometowns. It was truly the crushing of all hope in Julia's world. Among the hysterical laments she wailed out while sobbing in Auntie Shannon's arms were "None of my dreams will EVER come true!" and "Now I can't EVER DO ANYTHIIIIIING!"
I felt sympathy for my poor Julia, so excited for Christmas, and so unsuspecting that our visitors would not be staying until at least Christmas Eve.
ME: Julia, honey, are you feeling like you wish Auntie Shannon and Blake could stay for one more night?
JULIA: (bursting into fresh tears of passionate anguish) FOREEEEEEVEEEEEERRRRRR!!!
Sheesh. I guess none of her dreams WILL ever come true, if her expectations are that absolute.
At any rate, I think the impending arrival of Christmas gifts might be able to lift her spirits a bit, or at least give her one other reason for being awake in the middle of the night for the next few evenings...
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