Persistence

I am still in the process of weaning my daughter off too many bottles of milk before bed (in my humble opinion). Currently, she still takes two - one full bottle before bed and one smaller bottle so that she can go to sleep after bedtime stories. Don't ask.

She is a milk junkie. And so, she tried to convince me for an hour or so that she must absolutely have that last bottle of milk (which she still fondly calls "nen nen").

Sophie: Mummy...
Me: Yes?
Sophie: May I have nen nen, please?
Me: No, you may not.

This exchange went on for a few minutes before she decided to give me a break. However, she couldn't sleep, naturally, and so, some moments later, she tried again:

Sophie: Mummy... may I have nen nen, please?
Me: No, you may not. Maybe later, when you wake up in the middle of the night (because she still does).
Sophie: No, mummy. May I have nen nen now? Please?
Me: You must go to sleep now. Maybe later.
Sophie: No, mummy. Now...
Me: Later...

Some moments of silence, followed by:

Sophie: Mummy, please... I want nen nen.
Me: Sophie, you heard what the dentist said about not drinking anymore milk after you've brushed your teeth, didn't you? (Proceeds to give her more scientific, medical reasons...)
Sophie: Please...
Me: No....

Sophie: (Puts on her best Brit English accent, no kidding.) May I have my milk, please?
Me: Sigh... Sophie...

Some moments of pregnant silence (I imagined the wheels in her head turning), followed by:

Sophie: Mummy, I am going to sing now...
Me: Oh, what are you going to sing?
Sophie: (Makes up her own chant, while smilingly searching my face for any reaction.) Nen-nen-nen-nen....nen-nen-nen-nen-nen....
Me: (Trying not to chuckle.) That's nice. Shall we go to sleep now? Milk is for when we wake up later.

Some moments of silence, followed by:

Sophie: Cuckoo... cuckoo... cuckoo... cuckoooo...
Me: .......
Sophie: Mummy, are you awake?
Me: ..........
Sophie: Please... I want my milk NOW.

Mummy was so tired. She got what she wanted in the end. The weaning will have to wait.

I could use her persistence in praying, really.