Pulling out all the stops

Here's another story, which I will write down for you, but really it is so James and I can remember all the funny things Norah did when we are old and our memories begin to fail us (wait, that is happening to me NOW....).

The past few nights, Norah has been resisting bedtime because she sees that James and I and Luke are still downstairs, and she is upstairs all by herself. So, the other night, she really put up a fight--no holds barred--and it was quite a show.

We watched "The Little Mermaid" and then it was bedtime. So, I brought her upstairs, we brushed teeth, read a (short) book, I tucked her in, put her music on, and said, "Good Night." She said, "What are you going to do now?" and I said, "Oh, I have to clean up some of your toys, do the dishes, and relax a little before bed." (I try not to say: "I am going to watch some good shows on TV" because then she will REALLY give me a hard time). That wasn't good enough (she wanted me, James, and Luke to be going to bed too). So, as I went downstairs, she started whining and crying. I ignored it, and she just didn't give up. She got louder, and louder, and louder. Then, when her cries were met with silence, she moved to the top of the stairs so we could hear her better, and she cried LOUDER. Then, she tried another tactic: "Mommy! I have to do peepee on the potty!" So, James went up and waited while she "tried," then put her back in bed. She started crying again. Then, she said, "Mommy! I am scared of the big mean birds" and I went up and talked to her about being scared, and how she can say a prayer to keep her safe, etc. By now, about 40 minutes had gone by, and James and I had been able to hear about 5 minutes of our show. Finally, it was quiet.

Then, this: "Mommy! I need shbfh sghais flald...." "What, Norah? I didn't hear you?" "I need shgkjdhf skjhg...." "What? Can you talk louder? I didn't hear what you need..." I said I need shkayr agkjhkh..." We realized what she was doing: she was just making something up so we would go up there. She resorted back to crying (loudly) so we would just give in and go up there. While she was crying, James gave her a taste of her own medicine. He said, "Norah, sklfjakjh akjhfkjhda akjfhdgah." She stopped crying, as if listening. Then she started crying again, and James said, "Norah, lkajdjhgakh akjdhfh akjghfd." She stopped, listening intently, and then said, "Yes," and went to bed.

We didn't hear another peep.