New stuff she does

 This is, by no means, an exhaustive list...

• Insists on going into the fridge to pick out her own food. The other day she tried to pull out the spaghetti squash, calling it 'nana. Or this morning she, again, took a huge bite of the orange before we could peel it. Sometimes, like a teenager, she just stands there staring at everything and I am certain, thinking "There is nothing good to eat here!" as we get extra air conditioning in the kitchen. 
• Plays house now. But instead of dolls, her CAR! lives in the house. They go into the front door, flush the toilet, lay on the bed, go "zoom, zoom" everywhere. Book and cars and everything in the show In the Night Garden and Elmo and Odg are all still things that bring joy.
• Odg. The other day she corrected us, and called him Roger. Although we still call him Odg, because, we'll... he's just Odg now. 
• She's taken to crawling around and barking or meowing, pretending to be an animal. This first time Neil and I saw it, our jaws dropped. Pretend! So we'll often be found barking/meowing right beside her. 
• Tantrums. Not new, but every day Maddy decides what it is she wants (and what she doesn't). I am certain she can't understand our "arbitrary" decisions preventing her from doing her thing. Like reach for a knife on the counter. Or climb on top of her (rolling) bus toy, to see out the window. Or run onto the street to explore, instead of staying on the sidewalk. And we're not yet at the point where she can understand why we say no. Just that no is DEVASTATING and she can't believe we are SO MEAN. Loudly can't believe. 
• The return of teething? Adding to her 12 teeth? Can that also be a factor in the increase in tantrums? Or is it just toddlerhood? She's a snotty mess, teething or not. Although we can now more easily wipe her nose if we sing and make funny sounds as we're doing it. Even in public. And we do.  

Everyday with Maddy is awesome and fun and challenging and exhausting. And I can't imagine a life any other way. Does it make for fascinating reading? That I am not sure anymore. Maybe I won't be posting as much anymore, maybe there will be a new flurry of writing. Time will tell. But, in the most repetitive blog ever, it's all awesome right now.