Expressions

Madeleine is slowly but surely beginning to use her words to express her feelings rather than throw all-out temper tantrums. While we are veeeeery far from being over tantrums, she is at least starting to learn that using words to describe her emotions is far more productive than screaming and whining. Although she is still known to emit a Neanderthal grunting sound when she is displeased, she has taken to using her words after said grunt, not necessarily to explain how she's feeling, but to clarify what sound she is making and to distinguish it from other similar sounds. As in:

ME: Come on, Madeleine, it's time to bring Julia to school.
MADELEINE: No, I just still want to COLOR!
ME: No, we can color when we get back. Come on, let's go!
MADELEINE: (Standing up to follow me and grunting in dissatisfaction.) Mommy, I just GRUNT.

Okay. Got it.

Some of my favorite ways in which she has attempted to express herself lately are as follows:

From the potty
MADELEINE: Owwww!
ME: What's the matter, honey?
MADELEINE: Mommy? I feel like I HURT myself.

From the backseat of the car
MADELEINE: Owwww!
ME: Are you okay, honey?
MADELEINE: Mommy? What's the matter to my LEG?

As we snuggle on the couch in her room and she rejects my unwanted petting of her hair:
MADELEINE: Mommy? You don't want to touch me.

Oh, yeah. That's right. I *don't* want to touch you. Thanks for reminding me.

As I'm showering, and she decides she wants some breakfast:
MADELEINE: (running into the bathroom) Mommy? Is it okay you can get me some Trix?
ME: Okay, I'll get them for you in just a minute.
MADELEINE: You can get out of the shower, if you want.

I like how she sets it all up to make it sounds like it's my choice to end my shower and go serve her breakfast...

She has gotten so good at expressing her emotions and desires that even Julia can step in and translate for me when I'm unsure of what her problem is.

JULIA: Madeleine, do you want to color in your Sesame Street coloring book with me?
MADELEINE: Nooooo! Dooooraaaaaa!
JULIA: (turning to me confidentially) She doesn't want to color in her Sesame Street book because she's scared of Snuffleupagus. I always have to cover him up when we're coloring in that book together so I can PROTECT her.

Boy, oh boy. She's scared to the dinosaur, she's scared of the bapboom, she's scared of that lousy purple train, now she's scared of Snuffleupagus? At least she is learning to express her fears rather than stand petrified, inexplicably crying. Luckily, she's got a big sister to request is it okay you can cover up Snuffleupagus. Or maybe she can just tell Snuffy "You don't want to touch me." Either way, I think she's getting her message across pretty clearly.