Saturday, June 21, 2014

Sleepy-Time Chatter

And tonight's "What-Goes-Through-Madeleine's-Head" bedtime conversation is:


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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