The Woosh Woosh Machine

K came to wake me up this morning. Not an unusual occurrence in and of itself, because I happen to like to sleep and since my kids are old enough to handle the first hour or two in the morning alone. I let them. However, the conversation we had upon my waking still has me chuckling.

I have black out curtains in my bedroom, because out windows face east and the sun is really bright in Texas, so it's fairly dark in my bedroom all of the time. So K comes in, and stands at the side of my bed. I have no idea how long she stood there, and usually just a body standing and staring at me will wake me up, but it didn't this morning.

"Mom...mom." This is whispered and I wrinkled my nose and opened sleepy eyes at her.

"What is it honey?"

"Um, do you know how to turn off the thing?"

I turned my head a little and gave her a look. "What thing?"

"The thing in the living room making the noise."

I sit up a little and listen, perplexed. I hear the fan, the tv and someone outside. "Honey, what noise?"

"That woooooosh wooooooosh noise. Can't you hear it?"

"No, baby, I don't hear anything unusual."

"But Mommy, it's really bothering me and I can't figure out how to turn it off."

At this point I'm thinking good grief what has this child turned on that she can't get off and why can't I hear it. I'm torn, I want to just go shut it off for her, but I also want to know what it is she's talking about. And since I'm still half asleep, I really don't want to get out of bed quite yet.

"K describe for me what thing is making the noise."

"I did! It's all wooooooosh woooooosh."

"Yes, yes I know what it sounds like, but what does the noisemaker look like?"

"Oh, um...hang on." She runs out of the room, and then runs back in.

"It's this tall." She holds her hand to about mid chest. "And white and has buttons on top and goes wooooooooosh wooooooosh."

Okay there is only one thing in our living room that fits that description, but it doesn't woosh woosh it just has a soft steady hum. "Baby, are you talking about the air filter?"

"Yes! How do you turn it off?"

"Well, -you- don't, but why is it going woosh woosh."

"Oh! I was putting my ear to it and moving away over and over and I was trying to get it to make a different noise so I pushed a button on top and then it got louder and now it hurts my ear when I push it against it."

I clamped my teeth together and just looked at her. Took a deep breath and said. "Little girl, don't put your ear to the air filter. I'll come turn it down when I get out there."

She left and I lost it. Man I love that kid.