The Kaleidoscope and More

Madeleine got to receive TWO lollipops AND a toy for being such a good girl during my doctor's appointment today.  (And as a tactic to allow her to be busy at the goody bin while I was having blood drawn in the lab.)  The toy she chose was a kaleidoscope, and MAN, was she excited. 


MADELEINE: Mama!  I got a KALEIDOSCOPE!  (putting it up to her eye) I see a lot of yous!

Madeleine seeing a lot of mes.


Julia had some excitement of her own, as she performed her very first standing dive off of the diving block at swim lessons today.  After weeks of diving from the edge of the pool, she finally gathered up the courage to climb up on the block.  Without even belly flopping on her way in!

I guess the pool workout, plus the busy week at school, on top of the fact that Julia seems to be coming down with a cold pushed her over the edge this evening, however.  Julia seriously had what is probably the most ridiculous melt-down ever. 

While practicing her piano, Julia became frustrated by the completely delusional idea that Madeleine was "distracting" her.  (Madeleine, for her part, was sitting quietly on the rug, smoothing out the edges of her pink blanket, which she had laid flat on the floor.)  Julia began shrieking over the fact that she couldn't concentrate when Madeleine was in the room.  When I suggested Julia cease her practicing and resume at another time when she was more rational, she freaked out even more and insisted that she needed to practice. 

So I had the gall to take Madeleine out of the room to come sit with me in the dining room.  GOD, what a horrible thing to do. 

JULIA: (shrieking hysterically) No!  I'm NOT going to practice until Madeleine comes BACK IN THIS ROOM and DOES WHAT SHE WAS DOING!  I don't want you to just do whatever I say! I don't want people just LISTENING to what I tell them to do!  I don't want you to LISTEN TO ME!

Madeleine decided to brave the chaos and re-enter the living room, in an attempt to encourage Julia to practice.

MADELEINE: Julia, you HAVE to practice, because you have your recital!  If you don't practice, you won't be able to play in the recital.
JULIA: (screeching) Madeleine, DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!
MADELEINE: (wearily returning to me) Uh, Mama, can YOU try and handle her?

I tried but was not successful at handling her, either.  Julia wound up needing a loooong time-out in her room to recover her senses and emotions, during which I offered to put on a tv show for Madeleine.

MADELEINE: But Mama!  The recital!
ME: Don't worry, honey.  Julia can practice another time.  She's going to take a break from practicing right now.
MADELEINE: (wisely) But Mama.  Julia NEEDS to practice, because Mama.  She can't just be BANGING on the keys and screaming and SOBBING during the recital!

Yeah.  That's right.  She was practicing TOTALLY wrong today.  Now Julia is going to think that her recital performance should include a freak-out of epic proportions. 

Luckily, the storm passed over, with many apologies from Julia to Madeleine and I, and before long, the girls were coloring quietly and happily together.

MADELEINE: Julia?  Do you like what I'm drawing?
JULIA: Yeah!
MADELEINE: Yeah.  Cause I'm REALLY into concessories.
JULIA: Madeleine.  Do you mean AC-cessories?

I guess Julia was back in big sister mode.  She didn't need Madeleine to handle her any more.

And now that order is restored to the Rowe household, let's all take a deep breath and try and get a much-needed good night's sleep!