sleepover!

Recently, Marley had her first sleepover when her older cousin Riley spent the night.  She probably won't have another one for a while.  If you think moms are grumpy without enough sleep and before the first sip of coffee, you haven't witnessed a three-year-old lacking several hours of solid rest.  It took Marley a few days to get over her sleepover, especially since Quiet Time has replaced Nap Time, and extra especially since her Quiet Time consists of: doing "tricks" off of  her bed; hiding stuffed animals, books, and random figurines in assorted boxes, drawers, and blankets; and creeping downstairs every fifteen minutes or so to "use the potty."

Riley is fifteen months older than Marley, and at four, is so much more composed and flexible.  Really.  She's just getting over a very, very lengthy obsession with elephants and beginning two new ones with horses and dogs.  Most days, she can be found crawling around on the floor trumpeting, neighing, or barking and panting.  If you interrupt to ask her, for example, whether she wants a peanut-jelly or nuggies for lunch, she'll pause and look at you, but she won't break character.  This sort of discipline is outstanding.  I expect to see her on The Actors' Studio one day telling James Lipton that her favorite word is "tusk."  Or maybe she'll work in a zoo.  Last summer, she and Marley found horse and chicken costumes at a farm and wore them while racing through a maze.  At one point, Marley bent down to peck at the bark mulch on the ground because Riley told her to.  These two are going to get into some shenanigans when they're older.  They already do. 

Riley and Marley began the night with some pretty intense coloring, and then they got all sudsy in a bubble bath.  Afterwards, we made chocolate chip cookies.  I was trying to keep them up late, like until after nine o'clock, so that they'd be exhausted by the time they got upstairs and then I could watch my precious Friday Night Lights in peace.  Riley kept asking me when bedtime was; I'm fairly sure she's never so eager to know this at home.  Anyhow, sometime before ten, Marley settled into a borrowed sleeping bag with Ghostie, Blankie, and Flamingo, and Riley squeezed between her horsie and her practically life-sized elephant named Toothbrush.  Toothbrush, by the way, was Riley's bestest friend for a long time and Riley insisted on bringing that thing everywhere.  Her mom, my sister, has lugged Toothbrush around on many errands, appointments, and visits.  Toothbrush had a place at the table two Thanksgivings ago, and it wouldn't have been a real sleepover without her.  (Toothbrush is a girl, of course.)

Marley struggled so hard to stay awake, but before ten-thirty she was softly snoring.  I watched on my baby monitor while Riley threw a book and a stuffed animal at her while whispering, "Beanie?  Are you sleeping?"  And then, "Good night, Beanie."  After that, I had to make, oh, I don't know, a dozen trips up and down the stairs to read Riley stories, play different CDs, and eventually tuck her into Marley's bed before she fell asleep some time after midnight.  The best part of the night, though, was just after Todd and I tucked them in.  I listened in on the monitor to some pretty fantastic conversations:

Riley (excited): Let's go to the door and look for monsters!

Marley (whining):  Nooo!  I will be scared.

Riley (exasperated): I'm just joking, Beanie.

Marley (perking up): Is it your 'mag-a-ation, Riley?

Later, Marley was "reading" out loud from one of her books while Riley was beside her, oblivious, singing a very heartfelt "Rock-a-bye, Horsie."  That's another great thing about Riley.  Her whole life is like a musical, because lately she's been narrating her every movement and thought in song, often a drawn-out vibrato with her eyes half-closed.  I hope this phase lasts at least as long as the elephant one has.  Obviously.