Tired Mama

I was awoken around 4:30 this morning by the sound of Madeleine bursting through her bedroom door and beginning to thump down the stairs.  This was unusual in and of itself simply because Madeleine NEVER gets up on her own.  She unfailingly comes in to wake me up and insists I come downstairs with her, even if all she needs to do is pee and then go back to bed.  So being the dunce that I am, I decided to get out of bed to investigate rather than accept my gift horse and go back to sleep while she dealt with her business on her own.

I found her staggering down the stairs, still hazy from sleep, carrying a pair of underwear. 

ME: Madeleine, honey, it's too early to get up and get dressed.
MADELEINE: But Mama.  I need to go pee.
ME: Okay, let's get you on the potty, but we're not going to change into new undies and clothes yet, because it's still sleep time
MADELEINE: (shaky and dazed, still half-asleep, sitting on the potty) But Mama.  I needed new underwear because THESE underwear are a little WET.

Turns out she had leaked a little pee in her underwear and pajama bottoms.  And then had taken the responsibility to get herself clean underwear and go downstairs to the potty on her own.

Why did I get out of bed again??

I put Madeleine's dry new underwear on her after she had used the potty, then watched as her face slowly began to crumple.

ME: What's the matter, honey??
MADELEINE: Well Mama.  I think I better wear some DIFFERENT jammies.

Yes, because I was going to put on dry underwear but then make her sleep in her wet pajama bottoms.  Have a little faith in your mother, here, kid.  I know I'm a dunce but I'm not THAT much of a dunce.

At any rate, I got Madeleine into clean pajamas, climbed into bed with her for a few minutes ("Yay!  MOMMY snuggles!"), and then attempted to get back to sleep myself.

I had barely fallen back asleep when my other little bedroom visitor friend came in to join me.

ME: Julia, I'm really tired honey.  You can go downstairs and play if you want but I'm going to try and sleep more.
JULIA: Well, I'll just lay here and wait for you to get up.

I think Julia really did try.  She laid down beside me quietly while I tried to doze back off.  For a few minutes, at least. 

Then this started:

JULIA: (sighing loudly) Mama?  When are you going to wake up?
ME: Hrrrrmph.

A few minutes later:

JULIA: (sighing loudly) Mom.  I really WISH you would get up now.
ME: Mmmmmmm.


A few seconds later:

JULIA: Mom?  Can you please GET UP now?

I wound up bringing her downstairs at 7:30, putting on the tv, and giving her a bowl of cereal, letting her know I was going to try to sleep until 8, after which she could come awaken me.

And like the vigilant little girl she is, Julia came in promptly at 8:00 to announce that it was time for me to get up.

She also filled me in on her adventures downstairs by herself.

JULIA: So Mom, I was looking through the "American Girl" magazine and I felt like I was, like, TEN or ELEVEN, because, like, I was downstairs ALL ALONE.

She certainly was living dangerously, hanging out downstairs all by herself, watching tv and flipping through an "American Girl" doll catalogue.

Madeleine wound up sleeping until 8:30, and came downstairs in a cheerful mood.  She joined Julia at the tv to watch "Cat in the Hat" and eat cereal.  That is, until Madeleine suddenly needed a drink.

MADELEINE: (running into the dining room to get me) Mama?  I think I need some MILK.
ME: Okay.  I'll get you some.
MADELEINE: (wide-eyed and earnest) So Mama.  I whistled the FIRST TIME, but...now it's getting to STOP being a whistle.  So...I think I need some MILK so I can whistle again.

Maybe she's still half asleep.