Freshy Fresh to the max

Don't let these adorable pictures fool you. What you see here is not an innocent angel child relaxing with a few stuffed pals. Oh no. It is a tiny demon child, a tiny wolf in tiny sheep's clothing just waiting for the right time to strike. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but recently it seems we are headed closer and closer to the dreaded terrible two's.

Now, my perspective on these things is a little different than that of other parents. My baby, for all intents and purposes, was born evil. So, for us, we really had nowhere to go but up. Nothing she does could really be as bad as the incessant crying and lack of sleep of those first six months. The nipple pain alone is enough to give me nightmares. So, a little attitude, a few sessions of foot stomping, a thrown plate here and there are nothing compared to twelve hours a day of nursing and not sleeping for nine months.

But, I admit, we are seeing a new side of this girl. Even my mother agreed that she is even feistier than usual. She has an opinion about everything: what shoes she'll wear, which sweater, how she wants her strawberries (cut or uncut), which side of the bed she will lay on when Mike gives her a bottle, what I need to draw (a cat), where I need to draw it (there- with pointed finger), and how big it needs to be (big, big mommy, no little!). She wants to eat all food in the living room and refuses to sit in the highchair so we have compromised by letting her eat at her drawing table in the dining room. She spends a lot of time trying to sneak things like Play-Doh and markers into the living room and even drew all over the couch cushions on New Year's Eve.
Her main goal seems to be to test every possible boundary and watch our reactions, which I'm sure is totally normal, but is also highly frustrating.

And then, of course, things like this happen: I went to the grocery store this afternoon and was totally exhausted when I got back. When I walked in, she was wearing her little Elmo slippers which couldn't possible be any cuter and then she started doing this dance she does- knees bent, arms flailing from side to side like a monkey and began singing. At first I thought it was just gibberish and then I realized she was trying to sing the song at the end of the show Olivia. ("Gnight Livia") and I totally melted.

I can't stay mad at you Beezer. You're just too damn cute.