Counting

Tonight, after Madeleine read a book to Ethan at bedtime, she asked for some Mommy snuggles in her bed.  However, she didn't seem to actually want snuggles, as she complained that I was too close to her and snuggling her too tight.  After laying beside her without actually touching her for several minutes, I decided enough was enough and I would let her fall asleep on her own.

ME: Okay, honey, I'm gonna go.  Good-night, I love you.
MADELEINE: (clutching me) No!  Mama!  I want you to STAY!
ME: Honey, I'm not even snuggling you, I'm just lying next to you.  You don't need me here.
MADELEINE: But Mama, I *do* need you!
ME: What do you need me for??
MADELEINE: You're my COMFORTER.  You make me comfortable.  You're one of my BEST comforters.
ME: Well, I can stay for another few seconds and then I'm gonna go.
MADELEINE: How about ONE minute.  How about, like, TEN minutes.
ME: How about I'll stay and snuggle you a bit if you can quit yapping?
MADELEINE: Okay!

So I snuggled her as she lay silently, yawning with more and more frequency, and decided I'd gotten her settled enough to fall asleep on her own.

ME: (kissing her cheek) Good night, honey.  I love you.
MADELEINE: (distracted) Good night, I love you too...one thousand sixty-six, one thousand sixty-seven, one thousand sixty-eight...
ME: What are you doing??
MADELEINE: Oh.  I just started COUNTING in my brain while I was trying to fall asleep.

So I left her to her counting; that is, until I had to put away a shirt I had finished ironing in her room.  I figured she'd be asleep at this point, but nope, I saw her bright eyes gleaming up at me from her blanket burrito she was wrapped in.

MADELEINE: Mama?  After the TRILLIONS, I just said, "infinity," because I don't KNOW what number comes after the trillions.
ME: I'm not sure I know either.

(Quadrillion?)

I'm mighty impressed with the speed of Maeleine's brain counting, if she was able to get all the way through the TRILLIONS that quickly, seeing as she was in the mere thousands when I had left her earlier in the evening.  Let's just face it: with superhuman mathematical ability like that, this kid is bound to be a rocket scientist.