Mouths

Lately, Madeleine has been into explaining her emotional state by describing the physical shape her mouth makes.  For instance, she recently told Auntie Caitlyn, in response to something exciting Caitlyn had divulged, "My mouth was making a big grin that was getting WIDER and WIDER!"

Apparently Madeleine is noticing facial expressions on other people as well, including hand-drawn stick figures.  I arrived a few minutes early to pick the girls up from Sunday school yesterday, so I went and sat quietly in the back of the classroom while the kids finished up their lesson.  The lesson was about the icon of The Presentation of the Virgin Mary, and an explanation of the upcoming Feast Day that the icon represents.  Madeleine sat quietly, listening, but with her hand raised high in the air, waiting to be called upon.

TEACHER: Yes, Madeleine?  Do you have a question?
MADELEINE: Um...can I show you something?
TEACHER: Sure.  What is it?
MADELEINE: (hopping out of her chair and trotting over to the back wall, whereupon a cut-out person shape with a sad face was glued to a piece of paper entitled "The Good Samaritan") Um...um...um...WHY does this guy have a MOUTH that's pointing DOWN?

It's just like Madeleine to stay RIGHT on topic with her musings. 

Today, when I arrived to preschool to pick up Madeleine, I found her sobbing in the lap of one of her teachers.  It turns out she was crying over the fact that she had wanted to stay longer, despite the fact that when I asked her, this morning, if she wanted to stay for Lunch Bunch, she said no.  As I hugged and consoled her, I suggested we do Lunch Bunch tomorrow. 

MADELEINE: (with a huge, shuddering breath) Ohhhhkaaaay.

When we got in the car, I had an even better idea.

ME: Honey, you always seem to get sad that you can't stay longer, even when you say you don't want to do Lunch Bunch.  I think from now on, I'll just bring your lunch every time. 
MADELEINE: Mama?  That made my MOUTH tip up!

Now, let's take a moment to appreciate the ensemble Madeleine put together for her school day:

So, we've got the paradoxical combination of rolled-up sleeves with gloves.  I should point out that it's 65 degrees today and gloves aren't at all necessary, but these days, Madeleine wouldn't think of venturing out of the house without them.  (The rolled-up sleeves are also a constant.  I challenge you to find a single recent picture in which her sleeves are down.)  Then we have her extraneous headband over her already styled hair; the headband is one of mine, and something that Madeleine grabbed as we were headed out the door, then couldn't live without once we got to school.  And finally, let's take note of the fact that she is holding a dress-up ballet slipper.  The slipper actually happens to derive from Julia's Barbie dollhouse/hotel/dormitory game, as it is the "sleeping bag" for Barbie child Minnie.  But, hey, why not hang onto it as an accessory to complete Madeleine's outfit?  It looks totally posh to me.

If any part of this blog post made any of your mouths tip up, I'll consider it a successful post.