Stranger in Diapers

Sometimes Madeline changes so fast that I feel like someone snuck in our house overnight and swapped out our redheaded baby for an identical redheaded baby with a completely different personality.

It started last weekend when we went to New York.  My typically shy baby was running all over the place, pushing people out of her way, throwing around hugs, and cuddling with family members she had only just met.

Meanwhile, she's adopted a new favorite phrase:  "No, Dada," followed closely by, "No, Mumma!"  Sometimes when she says it, I have to turn my head and swallow my laughter.  It's her tone.  It's not demanding.  It's teenager-ish.  It's as if she's saying, "Omigod, Mom and Dad, you guys are so totally embarrassing!  Don't you know I am trying to eat these Cheerios off the floor, and you are totally in my way?"

On the other hand, sometimes it's not so cute.  It wasn't cute yesterday when she snatched my car keys off the table and threw them on the floor.  When I asked her to pick them up she answered, "No, Mumma!" and ran away.  Fresh.  Fresh. Freshie.

I guess her teacher at daycare is feeling the brunt of it too.  Madeline, my sweet baby girl, has taken to table dancing at school.  Yup, that's right...table dancing.  I guess she puts up quite the protest when she's removed from the tables.

She's been such a rascal recently, that I've had to keep her very close.  Yesterday, she made it half way up the stairs in desperate pursuit of her pacifier before I could catch her.

As a result, I've started having her "help" me make dinner so that I can keep a closer eye on her.  I pull up the step stool and she watches me cut up veggies.  Tonight she helped me crack some eggs.  She has a lot of fun, and so do I.

And surprise, surprise, Madeline loves raw onions.  I was chopping some up yesterday when she took a piece in popped it in her mouth.  I expected her to spit it right back up, but she continued munching on the onions the way one would munch on popcorn.  My daughter, who only eats pasta, bread or cheese also has a thing for onions.  Who knew?  

Yet, for all her changes, there are some things that remain the same.  After dinner tonight we were dancing around to some music in the kitchen and she demanded to be picked up.  While I bopped and swayed, she put her head down on my shoulder and started to doze off....just like how I used to put her to sleep when she was a smaller and less-complicated human being.