Morning with Madeleine

After a super-marathon poop session, Madeleine finished washing her hands and went to dry them on a hand-towel, then stood, nude and paralyzed, in the middle of the kitchen.

MADELEINE: Mom?  You know what I got stuck in my head?
ME: What?
MADELEINE: Numb.
ME: Like, a song called "Numb?"
MADELEINE: Numb.
ME: (thinking of "Comfortably Numb") Did Daddy play you a song called "Numb?"
MADELEINE: Uh, no.
ME: How does "Numb" go?
MADELEINE: Uh, NUMB.
ME: Oh, you mean, like you have the WORD "numb" in your head?
MADELEINE: Yes.
ME: Why?  Do you feel numb?
MADELEINE: Uh-huh.
ME: Where?  In your feet?  Or your legs?
MADELEINE: Well Mama.  When I'm sitting on the potty for a LONG TIME, I just get USED to it.  But...when I'm somewhere ELSE for a long time, then I don't really get used to it.
ME: Oh.  Okay.  Uh, here, let's just get your clothes back on now.

I never quite got to the bottom of what made "numb" stuck in her head, but maybe "getting used" to the potty means having your body go numb from sitting on it too long, therefore making you feel as if your body has become one with the toilet. 

Or maybe Madeleine's just weird.

A bit later on in the day, after having left her lunch virtually untouched for an hour and a half, Madeleine suddenly acted as if she were half-starved.

MADELEINE: Mom, I'm STILL really hungry!
ME: Well, you haven't really eaten your lunch.  Why don't you take another bite of your sandwich?
MADELEINE: Okay.  Mom.  YOU be the mom, and I'll be ERIN.
ME: Uh, okay.  Erin, please eat your sandwich.
MADELEINE:  I mean...I'll be GINNY.
ME: Okay.  Ginny Weasley, please eat a bite of your sandwich!
MADELEINE: (slightly panicked) No, no, MOM!  You don't CALL me that!
ME: Oh.  Ginevra, please eat a bite of your sandwich.
MADELEINE: No, that's not what you say!
ME: Oh.  Well, I thought you wanted to be Ginny.
MADELEINE: No.  Her mom calls her HONEY.
ME: Okay.  Honey, please eat a bite of your sandwich.
MADELEINE: (finally taking a teensy nibble of her food, then running off to play Barbies.)

And then we had THIS conversation shortly afterwards:

MADELEINE: (pointing at the back of her princess figurine box) Mom?  Do you know why Pocohontas's hair is FLOWING around like this?

ME: Uh, I think because in the movie her hair blows around in the wind a lot.
MADELEINE: (opening up her "Disney Princess Look & Find" book and pointing to Pocohontas) And Mom?  Do you know what HER name is?

ME: Uh, that's Pocohontas, honey.  Remember?
MADELEINE: No!  No, MAMA!  Her HAIR is not flowing around!

I guess it can only be Pocohontas if her hair is flowing around.  I mean, if it makes you feel any better, Madeleine, once Pocohontas married John Smith she changed her name to Rebecca Rolfe.  So, if you'd like, you can call the NON-FLOWY, unsavage, silky smooth combed-hair version of her Rebecca. 

We are just about to head out to pick up Julia from school, so I can't WAIT to see what wild and crazy imaginative games Madeleine has in mind for our walk!  Maybe she'll get to be Pocohontas and I'll get to be Rebecca Rolfe!