Madeleine the Mermaid, Madeleine the Bird

This afternoon, while Madeleine and I were snuggling on the couch as she guzzled down some milk, she was suddenly struck with the need to ask me something.

MADELEINE: (pausing in her milk guzzling) Mama?  I wonder what YOU are?
ME: I'm a mommy.
MADELEINE: What KIND of mommy?
ME: Uh...a loving mommy.
MADELEINE: (gulping down more milk for a moment, then pausing once again)  Mama?  I'm a HUMAN mermaid.  I'm a mermaid who's getting STRONGER.

That's Madeleine, logical as always.  Her train of conversational thought is always so predictable.  Never random at all.


On the way to pick up Julia from school, Madeleine was no longer a human mermaid, but was instead a bird, in a game she has dubbed "Birdie, Birdie Peep-Peep."  In case you're trying to figure out how much fun this particular game is, I think I can safely assert that the title of the game says it all.

Madeleine's name in this game is the aforementioned Birdie, Birdie Peep-Peep.  This is one of her commonly played walk-to-school games of late, and the game always starts off with Madeleine tweeting like a bird, upon which I am commanded to remark.

MADELEINE: Okay, so Mama!  Say "Oh, I hear a BIRDIE!"  But Mama.  You CAN'T see me.
ME: Oh, I hear a birdie!  I wonder where it is?  Is that an orange wing with a black tail I see over there?
MADELEINE: No, Mama.  You can't SEE me.
ME: Oh.  I *thought* I saw an orange wing, but now it's gone.  I wonder what's making that tweeting noise??

At some point along today's walk, Birdie, Birdie Peep-Peep decided to make herself visible to me.  Then things got REALLY exciting.

MADELEINE: Twet's tway twin twa TWOUDS!  Mama?  That means: "Let's play in the CLOUDS!"
ME: Oh.  I can't get up into the clouds.  I wish I could fly like you, little birdie.

Fortunately, Madeleine had a quick-fix solution for me.

MADELEINE: Twime twa TWATWICK twirtwie.  Mama?  That means: "I'm a MAGIC birdie."
ME: Oh.  Great.  So can you make me fly?
MADELEINE: Twoo twaf two tway TWACE twee twome TWATWICK!  Mama?  That means: "You have to say 'grace me some MAGIC!"

At this point, we were encountering all kinds of neighbors out on their front lawns, who had the pleasure of hearing me exclaim, "Grace me some MAGIC!"

MADELEINE: Twoo twaf two tway TWACE twee TWINGS!  Mama?  That means: "You have to say 'grace me WINGS!"

So before long, I had the great fortune of making the rest of the walk to school whilst flapping my wings in the air alongside Madeleine.  I guess I shouldn't even call it a walk to school at this point.  You ALL knew that Madeleine and I flew there, grace to the magical wings she bestowed upon me.

I'm lucky enough to be included in MANY of the girls' pretend play games, and I have to say: it doesn't get much better than Birdie, Birdie Peep-peep!