I Know You.

Rudy knows about the Disney Princesses a lot earlier in her life than Marley did. When Bean was two, she was still completely into Curious George: his books, his movie, his show on PBS, and all the streamers, plates, and napkins at her second birthday party. In fact, I only introduced Marley to Cinderella because I needed a movie to ease her sorrow when I put the Rudolph DVD away with the rest of our Christmas decorations and entertainment in 2007. At that time, Marley was obsessed with Hermey; she watched him mutter classics like, "Just not happy with my work, I guess," at that long, busy elf table at least once a day in December. And I figured Cinderella was a classic fairy tale about kindness, and, in a way, karma. I did not predict the princess fury that it would help to unleash.

Anyhow, this December, Rudy was also completely, totally into the misfit elf who wants to be a dentist. Same age. At night and at naptime, she clutches a Hermey figurine in one fist and tucks Lambie under her other arm. Little Hermey, as she calls him, has avoided the Christmas clean-up, and good for him and Toot. The DVD did get put away, though, and I haven't yet needed to replace it, since Rudy would be just fine watching the Cinderella that we already have and she's already seen. She knows about Sleeping Beauty, too, because she hears her mommy warble "I Know You" every time one of our princess soundtracks gets some play. Which is probably how the following came about.