Erica (my sister) said to blog this and so I am. She’s bossy and I’m obedient. (She is my big sister, after all.)
Last night Brett got home from taking Madison on a run and to give him a break I took both kids with me to the grocery store. I didn’t check the time before I left and I should have because we were leaving right around the time we usually start getting Madison ready for bed.
I realized that time was not on my side when Madison began to come unglued.
It started in the canned beans aisle. We slid past a woman with nifty green glasses and Madison whispered something as we went by.
“What’s that, honey?” the woman asked, smiling at our adorable pony-tailed girl.
“Are you POOPY?” Madison obliged by shouting.
And so it went. As we passed people, hurrying to get our shopping done she would shout, whisper, hiss, “Are you poopy? Do you have poopy pants?” to anyone we passed. (What can I say? She’s potty training and her mind is in the toilet these days.) We gave her a bagel to shut her up and I sent Noah ahead to gather our goods to try to get out faster.
When we got to the check-out lane I glanced at the checker’s register to catch the time and it was 9:30 — a full hour past Madison’s bed time. She was swinging her head around in the cart laughing and squealing.
“Oh my god,” I told Noah. “She’s gone insane!”
Madison, hearing me, began to chant, “I a YUNATIC! I CWAZY! Hahahahahahaha!”
We got her home, got her into jammies, rocked her for a few minutes and she was out. Slept in an hour later this morning, too. That’ll teach me not to respect her bedtime! No more yunatic toddlers for us!
I have two kids and a delightfully odd husband, Brett. My children are Noah (born to us in 1997) and Madison (born to her first mom, Pennie, in 2004 and brought to our family through a domestic, open adoption). They are my inspiration and also the reason I don't get more done around here.
I'm a writer and sometimes I get published, which is a nice thing. I write for joy, I write for money and when I'm very lucky, both things happen at the same time. My work appears in national publications including Yoga Journal, Disney's Family.com, Utne, Wondertime, Brain Child and Salon. Currently I am working on a book about my daughter's adoption and seeking representation for the proposal. I also own Smart Cookie Communications with my husband.
Captain Cook
May 31st, 2006 at 4:56 pm
This is a 1000x funnier, knowing your tots in person. Seriously, this is the best interior shot of your life.
oh, Dove is faxing Albert a copy of your letter–a million thanks!
Lilian
May 31st, 2006 at 5:45 pm
LOL! This is definitely a great story, your sister was right in asking you to blog it!
Overwhelmed!
May 31st, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Too cute! When did you start with the potty training?
Aaron
May 31st, 2006 at 11:26 pm
So wish I was one of those asked whether or not I was poopy. Would have loved it.
“I am Madison. Resistance is futile.”
Love. It.
Jody
June 1st, 2006 at 2:24 am
Ah yes, forgetting to respect the bedtime. We’re ALL guilty of that.
Tell me: does Noah demonstrate that kids get more forgiving as they get older? Because we’re definitely not there yet.
Still: fantastic story. Appreciate the self-sacrifice on your part, just to bring us such a great tale.