Sometimes her words are meant for me. Other times they are sent floating into the air, random molecules intended for no one in particular. They're words that belong in a world only she can see.
Mila has found herself deeply entrenched in the Make Believe Phase.
It's delightful, really. Tiny people talking to a doll that won't reply is all of the adorable, especially when the tiny people ask things like, "Did you poop? Yes? Ooooh! That's disgusting!" Mila's make believe world is full of empathy and concern and humor, which makes me think perhaps she isn't going to eventually set the world on fire.
Well, maybe. There's no doubt that she will be a woman who persists. Let's just hope the world figures out how to deal with women who persist before she learns how to light a match.
For now, I find myself trying to jump in and out of the Make Believe World. Mila pulls me in then jumps out and then we're back in again, often without many hints as to what is happening. When there's a doll around, I can follow, but sometimes the words are a bit more random.
Tonight, as we pulled into the parking lot to pick up her big sister, Mila was off in her Make Believe World. I have no idea what she was saying because it was her Make Believe Language. Suddenly she flipped to English, though, and I tuned in.
At first Mila talked about what she wanted for dinner. "Egg and cheese muffin" is almost always her preference, and you go right ahead and judge me for taking the kid to McDonald's with some regularity. It's her favorite and she eats it and there is happiness so whatever. Judge away.
The talk about dinner ended as abruptly as it started. Mila's attention turned to something totally different -- bed time. She told me she wanted to wear her Wonder Woman pajamas and that she needed a blanket and
oh
she dropped a few words that were ... interesting.
"There are bugs in your bed, momma."
"No there's not. Do you mean in your crib?" I replied.
"No, there's bugs in your bed. They're icky," she retorted.
Mila has a firm grasp on pronouns at this point. She knew when she said "your" that she was telling me to never sleep again.
"There are no bugs in the bed, Mila," I said.
"Yes there are. The bugs are sleeping in your bed. They were tired."
Mila went on and on about the bugs. An hour later, she was still mentioning the bugs in my bed. They have a lot of legs. They're brown. They bite. Was it make believe? Was it real? THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW.
It's cool, y'all. I don't actually need to sleep ever again anyway.
