MADELEINE: Mama? How come when you're laying down your head has to be like this?
ME: Like what?
MADELEINE: Like this.
ME: But what do you mean? Like what?
MADELEINE: Like this.
I should point out that during this conversation Madeleine was not doing anything at all with her head to demonstrate what she meant.
ME: But what are you talking about? What is your head like?
MADELEINE: Like this.
She was literally just laying on her back with her head in a completely normal position. I was at a loss.
ME: Do you mean when you're laying on your tummy and you have to turn your head to the side?
MADELEINE: No. When you're laying on your back.
ME: And what is your head like when you're laying on your back?
MADELEINE: Like this.
ME: Like how it is now?
MADELEINE: How come when you're laying on your back your head is just STUCK staring straight up at the ceiling?
ME: Uh...well, you can close your eyes. Then you don't have to stare at the ceiling.
MADELEINE: Well Mama. I just like to keep my head like this and my eyes staring at the WALL. Because I like to look at my name.
(By which she would mean this):
ME: Oh, I see.
MADELEINE: And Mama. I even REMEMBER it. Even from when I was a baby and I wasn't BORN yet, that you made me a letter "M."
ME: That's right. I didn't have all the letters yet, but I painted a letter "M" to hang on your wall.
MADELEINE: But Mama. Why didn't you have all the letters?
ME: Well, because I hadn't bought the rest of them yet. But I thought I would hang a letter "M" for "Madeleine."
MADELEINE: But Mama. What were the OTHER names that came BEFORE?
ME: What do you mean?
MADELEINE: The other names that came BEFORE Madeleine.
ME: There was only one name that came before Madeleine, and that was Julia.
MADELEINE: No. Mama. What were the other names that WEREN'T Madeleine or Julia?
ME: You mean what were some of our other favorite names?
MADELEINE: Yes.
ME: Well, we really liked the name Emilia, which is why we gave it to you as your middle name.
MADELEINE: But Mama? Then my head would be like THIS: (putting her thumbs on either side of her chin and her pointer fingers on her temples.)
ME: What do you mean?
MADELEINE: My head would be like THIS. (repeating the gesture.)
ME: Do you mean...? like...? what do you...?
MADELEINE: (rolling over in bed to face the icon on her wall.) But Mama? Why does Owen have a head like that?
ME: Owen has a head like Saint Mary Magdalene?
MADELEINE: NOOO. He has a head like THIS. (once again putting her thumbs on her chin and pointer fingers on her temples.)
ME: What do you mean? Like what?
MADELEINE: Like THIS. (again repeating the gesture.)
ME: Um...do you mean he has a wide, round head?
MADELEINE: Yes. REEEEALLY wide. He has a big, wide head. He has a LITTLE head but it's a really wide and really ROUND head.
I am not even totally sure who Owen is, so I really couldn't quite answer that question. There have been several Owens we have casually known over the past years, and I guess some of them had round heads, but as to why they do, all I can guess is that one of their parents must also have a round head. That's about as well as I can do on that one, Madeleine.
Within a few minutes she had conked out. Maybe she just free-associates aloud before falling asleep because she's literally having a waking dream. I have no other explanation for the completely random and bizarre things that come out of that kid's mouth before bed every night.
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