Unfortunately, Madeleine decided to skip her nap both on Christmas Day and on the day afterwards, so the cranky-pants in her began to come out by day two. After nearly two hours in her pack 'n play that afternoon, she still had not fallen asleep, and was belting out songs with all her heart rather than even trying to get sleepy. I went into her room and sternly told her, "Madeleine, you need to go to sleep," to which she chirped cheerfully, "I just trying to SING!" Needless to say, even a snuggle with Mommy wasn't enough to stifle her excitement at being in Connecticut with a dog and lots of relatives and a bunch of new toys.
On our way back home to Massachusetts, we stopped by the house of some family friends to say hello and exchange Christmas gifts. The biggest surprise of all was a visit from Santa Claus, aka the white-bearded next-door neighbor who owns a Santa suit. After some prodding, Julia was willing to sit on his lap and even put in a request for next year's Christmas present: nail polish. (Whew. I think that one can be accomplished.)
Madeleine, who by this point had started to unravel from lack of sleep and general overstimulation, did not do so well on Santa's lap:
Of course, Madeleine immediately conked out upon getting back into the car around 5pm, meaning she would likely be wide awake and ready to play as soon as we arrived home around bedtime. Julia, on the other hand, was completely wound up and wired and chattered away incessantly like someone who had just received an IV of caffeine. This generally sums up what the next 3.5 hours of driving were like:
JULIA: Mama?
ME: Yes?
JULIA: Do you know what I have in my head right now? Like, the second Fresh Beat Band song, where it goes, "When the tale is mean, and you're unhappy..."
ME: Oh, really?
JULIA: Yeah. Mama? Do you know I used to think they said "When the tale is ME," but then I realized they're saying "MEAN."
ME: Oh, okay.
JULIA: But, Mama? Did you know that in "A Muppet Christmas Carol" the mean Scrooge sees three ghosts JUST LIKE in "Mickey Christmas Carol?"
ME: Well, that's because it's the same story. Those movies are both based on the book called "A Christmas Carol."
JULIA: But Mama? Do you know that I wish that story was REAL, because I wish I could act it out with Mary and Simi?
ME: (putting on a CD) Julia, why don't you sing along to the music?
JULIA: Well, Mama? Do you know why I'm not singing?
ME: Why not?
JULIA: Because there's something I really need to tell you. Uh, Mama? Do you know that before I tried wearing shoes with no socks, I thought it wouldn't be comfortable, but then I tried it and I realized it IS comfortable. Because, Mama? Do you know that Mary wears shoes with no socks, and I want to be just like Mary, because we're BEST FRIENDS.
ME: Oh, okay.
JULIA: Mama? Do you know how tired I am?
ME: How tired are you?
JULIA: I'm INFINITY tired! That's how tired I am.
She was certainly acting tired with all her blabbering, that's for sure.
Madeleine is, thankfully, napping today, and Good Lord does she need the rest. She was so overtired and crabby when we got home from a play-date at noon today that she decided to have a melt-down in our foyer and flop her body down on the floor by the front door. Neither Julia nor I could convince her to get up and come inside to have lunch, so we decided to ignore her and go in ourselves. Madeleine laid on the floor flailing around and screaming angrily, then learned her lesson the hard way when the mailman, not expecting there to be a 2-year-old child lying prone on the ground in the entryway, opened the front door right into her. We'll see if she tries pulling that one again anytime soon...
Anyway, happy holidays to all, and hope you are all enjoying some rest and relaxation much like I am dreaming of over here!
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