I Want That! Now!

Today was one of the toughest in recent memory. We both got to the end of the day, super tense, and realized that we had no idea what had happened to our sweet, happy baby girl. She was just a mess all day long and we couldn't figure it out. She is not sick. She had plenty of good sleep. She had food when she wanted it (as best we could tell, anyway), a walk outside, played on the deck, a good long nap on her Daddy's lap, a stroller ride to the store, and the devoted attention of both of her hard-working parents all day long.

This is how it looks from Arli's perpective, we think:

Pick me up! I need you! I'm small and I need attention. Drop everything! Pick me up!

Oooooh, look at all the things I'm missing out on from up here! All those things on the tables and shelves and counters that you keep from me. Bad Mommy. Bad Daddy.

(Pointing to nothing in particular, and shrieking) I want THAT! No, THAT. I want THAT! (Hand it to her) NOOOOO!! THAAAT, you idiot!

Time for a tantrum. On my face, on the floor. Again.

You people don't ever give me anything! You don't care about me at all! (Hand "it" to her, immediate pacification, switch goes off). Oh, thank you. This is the best thing ever. Do the buttons work? Does it twist? Does it light up? Does it make sounds? What if I pull on it? What if I drop it off the deck? Go get it! Oooooh, thank you. Do it again. Do it again. WHAAAAAT?? I'm not done with this gaaaaaame!!! (Goes limp, kicks legs, face mashed into floor, yelling bloody murder.)

I'm HUNGRY! Feed me! No, not that! NO. Don't you care that I'm starving half to death? I want what you have. Wait, no I don't. You people don't understand anything! (Shrieking so loud that the crystal martini glasses we never get to drink out of shatter in the cupboard.)

Wash. Rinse. Repeat for 10 straight hours.

Jeff says, "What is wrong with her? What did we do?"

Now, I don't know this for sure, but I think she's a toddler. And I think toddler-types just have days like this because their worlds are expanding and they have to see, hear, touch and taste everything they come in contact with or suspect that they might come in contact with. They get ultra-frustrated when things don't go their way, just like we big people do, but they are at the extreme disadvantage of not having the language to express it. A little language and reason can go a long way.

So I really think that the only things we can do are take a deep breath, be as reasonable as humanly possible, and buckle up. We are in for an adventure. She's taking the world by storm, and she's starting at home.