Monsters

I have received reports that there are several busy monsters living in my house. One seems to be sorting laundry, because Jude shouts a friendly "Thank you, monster!" down the chute every time he deposits a few dirty clothes. A few are gathered in a general way downstairs, where the boys sleep and play. Sometimes they wake Samuel up at about midnight and tell him to come check on Mom and Dad.

The monsters spend most of their time, though, waking Jude's babies. Jude is a very attentive babysitter. He rocks his baby dolls, reads them stories and sings them songs, and is so proud when they are finally sleeping. Sometimes he yells for me to come look at his sleeping baby, which is almost always invisible for all the blankets wrapped around it.

Sleeping baby dolls alone in dark rooms are magnets for monsters. Jude comes out of the bedroom angrily complaining that "The monsters are waking up the baby!" This was distressing for a minute or two the first time it happened. How do you convince a monster to let the baby sleep? Then Samuel came to the rescue: "LET'S SHOOT THEM!"

We did not teach him that.

It must have been effective, because at least once a day I hear Jude's perky, sing-song, little voice call his brothers to action: "The monsters are waking the baby. Let's shoot them! Come on!"