Special time with Madalyn, a special little sister
Madalyn is so charming right now. Last night Shaun woke her up covering her, so he brought her into our room for a bit before putting her back down. I can't adequately express how thrilled she was to have our complete and undivided attention for those several minutes.
She's very used to divided attention and it made me sort of sad, in a way, that there's not more one-on-one time for her...for me to have with her! Evan had only that, and still has that with me when she's napping, but she's never had it except for rare occasions such as this one. I look forward to when she's older and can give her more one-on-one. But I'm digressing, so back to last night...
She smiled and buried her face in her blankie on our chests and sucked her thumb, (which she normally only does when she's in her crib,) and she jibber-jabbered up a storm with wonderful inflection and personality. Let me explain something here with an analogy: Madalyn is to blankie as Evan is to doggy. Yes, Madalyn LOVES her blankie! She will not go to sleep without it. If it's being washed, she refuses. When it comes out of the laundry basket, she will plop down on it on the floor, if that's where it is, and stick her thumb in her mouth and as far as she's then concerned, it's naptime. We've started putting it to her face before we set her in her bed and she sticks that thumb in and is ready. Not a peep. (Thank you Mrs. Camp for the beloved blankie!!)
So here I am off on a tangent again! So last night...she was repeatedly saying to us, "uh-oh, uh-oh," in this girly little voice, eyeing the remote that had fallen from the bed to the floor. She says that a lot now about anything that it will make sense with; it's amazing she understands "the uh-oh concept." And she was talking in sentences and telling us things (not in English) but I'm positive she was really telling us things and conversing with us, so animated was she! Those minutes were so sweet that it makes me sad, to think how fleeting it is! She was so soft, so "baby." She just wanted to rub foreheads with us and stare into our familiarity and smile. The innocence and sweetness was almost overwhelming. I only wished I could hit a "pause" button and savor it, soak it in a little longer so I won't ever forget the splendor of it all; of sweet baby Madalyn. She is truly spectacular to me.
On a different note, I also wanted to report that remnants of Honey and Poppy linger-on in Evan's words even though it's now been a few weeks since they were here. He told us that the woodpecker was singing a praise song, pointed out a pine tree, (that got a double-take out of both of us since we'd never taught him tree species,) and continues to tell the Holly Tree goodnight out his bedroom window. The missing finger trick is still in full-force (that Poppy taught him,) and when all of my fingers are gone because he's snatched them off he says, "Now I can't tickle you!!" (This is what I said to him once and he loves the idea and always wants me to repeat it to him.)
He's been a really sweet brother lately, too. He enjoys pushing Madalyn's umbrella stroller for me and insists on doing it unassisted, and walks around to check on her every so often and baby-talks to her in a high-pitched voice--
"Wheeeere's Madalyn? Hi-iii, Madalyn! There's Madalyn!"
(That's not something he's mimicking, either. I never do that.)
Yesterday I found him sitting on the floor trying to do a puzzle with her. It's one he can't even do without help and he was saying, "first we have to find the corners, Madalyn. Then the sides. Now we just have to do the picture!" And all of this while shuffling the pieces around aimlessly. So funny.
The two of them also love hollering and copying sounds back and forth at the table and in their carseats and catch the giggles together sometimes--over nothing! SO rewarding to see that. And if Evan notices Madalyn isn't in a room anymore he will say, "Madalyn," looking around for her, very concerned. Sometimes he even whines if I explain that she's napping because he wants to play with her. And at the pool today he got worried when he didn't see me put her into her stroller to take a bottle under the canopy and noticed she was no longer in the pool with us.
I'm sure she'll get more than tired of him guiding her every step and insisting on helping her do things the right way (he's already annoying me because he "helps" her SO often now,) but she is so fortunate to have such a tender, loving brother and I am thankful he loves her so well. I hope they continue to look out for each other and keep each other in line. I hope and pray that they are the best of friends always.
