The Observant and the Not-So-Observant

As we rode home on the sixxy-nine bus after a trip to the Y today, I sat marveling over how intelligent and observant my daughters are. Spotting a truck that said "CVS Pharmacy," Madeleine turned to me and said, "I want go CVS? Go bagel store?", after which Julia remarked, "Mama, isn't it cool that some things are just named with letters, like CVS and SUV?"

Then we got home and my brilliant Madeleine decided to take a Tootsie Pop out of the cupboard and eat it with the wrapper still on.

Pumpkins

A few days ago, Madeleine and I stopped by the grocery store on our walk home from her Creative Movement class. Spotting the pumpkins outside the store, she became convinced that we were buying a pumpkin, despite my repeated assertion that we were not going pumpkin picking until the weekend. As we walked through the various aisles in the store, Madeleine felt the need to continually tell me, "I want pumpkin!" with increasing urgency. When we checked out and paid without any pumpkin, I assumed the matter was settled; however, along our walk home, Madeleine lamented over her non-existent pumpkin: "My pumpkin! My puuuuumpkiiiiin!!!"

A few hours later, when I went into her room to get her up from nap, she gazed at me groggily for a moment, then requested, "I want my pumpkin!"

So you can imagine how excited she was today when I took her to our local "pumpkin patch." Since we were visiting during non-business hours, we weren't able to take a pumpkin home, but she was perfectly content to fondle them and move one pumpkin from its spot to another.



It turns out we were not the only ones there browsing through pumpkins and taking pictures. Another little girl with braids was in the pumpkin patch, posing for pictures taken by what appeared to be her grandmother. Although Madeleine had never met this girl before, she did not hesitate to confidently address the little girl with a name that seemed appropriate: "Julia! Look at THIS pumpkin, Julia! Look, Julia!" I guess since all older women are grandmothers and all men are daddies, all little girls must be Julias, in Madeleine's world.

Potty reading material

As Madeleine is learning to use the potty (albeit with many wet and dirty diapers in between potty-sitting), I'm beginning to learn her bathroom habits. It turns out she's one of those that needs to read something while sitting on the pot. We usually start with a book I can read to her, then afterwards she likes to look through the same book herself. Among her favorite toilet reads is "My Little People Schoolbus," in which she can open a myriad of flaps and make comments about the various Little People characters. If she doesn't know the names of the particular Little People, she doesn't hesitate to confidently label them with a name anyway.


MADELEINE: (pointing to the child at the far right window) It's GRANDMA!
(pointing to the middle child) That's SNOW WHITE! (pointing to the boy at the far left window) That's BOY!

One of her other preferred potty books is the Sesame Street "Pumpkin Patch Party." In fact, I've read it to her so many times that she can recite it from memory, including the captions under each flap. For instance: "Uh-oh! Here comes Headless Horseman! (lifting the flap) It's Ernie and Burp!"

Unfortunately, my video camera battery was low so I was only able to capture a few minutes of her potty reading adventures today, but here's a quick glimpse at all the fun I get to have as I sit on the bathroom floor while Madeleine entertains herself on the toilet:

Princesses

Julia has decided to be a princess this afternoon, one with all the luxuries a girl could ask for in her royal suite: her own large bathtub (the couch), a kitchen in her room in case she needs a snack, French doors (two little wooden chairs between the living and dining rooms), teacups of water "for in the night, in case we get thirsty," a washing machine, and a laundry basket.

Despite all these luxuries, however, she is still relegated to sleeping on the floor and looking after her little sister, Princess Baby Dashiell:



I guess I, the Queen, am too busy to look after Baby Dashiell, although I did get a chance to meet with my royal stylist, (also Julia; man, that girl doesn't get a break), who gave me a stunning look. Get ready to be wowed by my bonnet with accompanying felt headband:



Princesses Julia and Dashiell have since woken up from their nap and are enjoying some snack together in the royal kitchen.

And speaking of waking up, Madeleine and I had this conversation as I got her out of her crib this morning:

MADELEINE: Julia's still FWEEPIN'!
ME: Yup, Julia's still sleeping, you're right.
MADELEINE: Daddy's still FWEEPIN'!
ME: Actually, Daddy's at work.
MADELEINE: Mommy woke up!
ME: That's right. I woke up when I heard you wake up.
MADELEINE: Yeah, Mommy woke up and Mommy say COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!

She sure knows what's going on around here, all right.

Questions and necklaces

Julia asked a very astute question this morning, after examining a sticker proclaiming "Yes!" in her new sheet of Highlights stickers she received in the mail:

"Mom? Why sometimes is there an upside-down lower case 'I' at the end of words?"

And in other news, the girls had a great time at their friend Cooper's birthday party in Rhode Island yesterday ("Pirate Island!" as Madeleine called it.) They have been ecstatically going through the loot in their goody bags since the party ended, and among the favorite goodies are the little plastic beaded necklaces they both received. They modeled their new necklaces yesterday and today. I especially like Madeleine's bohemian chic look today, complete with knitted winter cap and sandals.


Saturday's post-party necklace-wearing



Sunday morning's outfits with necklace accompaniment

Through Madeleine's eyes

My dinner, through Madeleine's eyes:

MADELEINE: Look, it's Mommy's ham!
ME: Yes, that's my ham.
MADELEINE: Look, it's Mommy's BWOKIE!
ME: Yup, my broccoli.
MADELEINE: Look, it's Mommy's BALLS!
ME: Those are my peas.
MADELEINE: Yeah, it's Mommy's balls.
ME: They're peas, honey.
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah, that's Mommy's PEAS!


A ride on the 59 bus, through Madeleiene's eyes:

MADELEINE: (pointing at an elderly African American woman) Look, that's Grandma!
ME: Oh yeah? Is she a grandma?
MADELEINE: (pointing at the same woman.) Yeah. That's Grandma. It's TAMARA! That's Mommy. It's Courtney.

Hmm.


MADELEINE: (in regards to the bus waiting to pull out of the parking lot onto the main road) Oh no! The sixxy-nine bus STUCKING!


MADELEINE: (pointing at an elderly Asian American woman) Where Grandma go? There she is! That's Grandma!


MADELEINE: (pointing at a young woman boarding the bus) Who's dat?
WOMAN: (smiling at Madeleine) Hi! How are you?
ME: Can you say hi?
MADELEINE: (staring wide-eyed and silently at the woman)
WOMAN: Hi! (walking towards her seat)
MADELEINE: (pointing after her) Who's DAT? WHO'S DAT?


MADELEINE: (pointing at an older man with a bushy mustache and American flags all over his hat and shirt) That's Ethan! It's Ethan! Yeah, that's DADDY.

Mucus

MADELEINE: (from the potty) Julia's DANCING!
ME: Julia's eating her lunch. She's not dancing anymore.
MADELEINE: She's DANCING!
ME: The music is still playing, but she's not dancing anymore. She's eating her lunch.
MADELEINE: Oh, yeah, it's da MUCUS.
ME: The MUSIC. Can you say MUSIC?
MADELEINE: (delighted) MUCUS! Not mucus.
ME: MUSIC.
MADELEINE: Yeah, mucus. Not mucus.
ME: Can you say MUSIC?
MADELEINE: Mucus! Mommy, say mucus?
ME: Music.
MADELEINE: Julia, say mucus?
ME: Julia, Madeleine wants you to say mucus.
JULIA: (giggling) Why?
ME: Madeleine, can you say MUSIC?
MADELEINE: MUCUS!! Mommy, say mucus?

I gave up.