a new day, a new post...finally

Rachel is full of ideas and opinions these days, and, almost always, I can curb her little desires by pointing out potential conflicts or consequences. Lucky for me, she accepts reasoning pretty well, and does not usually insist on the impossible (or inconvenient). For example, today, I told her we could go to the park for a few minutes and play on the playground, but when we got there, it had started to rain. Although it wasn't raining hard, and although she was disappointed and tried to negotiate with me, she ultimately returned to the car without a fight.

A common reason she can't do this or that during the day is that she's too little ("I wanna drive, Mommy." "You want to drive? But you're too short!"), and she's okay with that. Sometimes it's that she's too big ("Don't sit in the bouncy seat, Rachel; that's for babies"), and she does not argue.

Tonight, the silly little thing found a tiny newborn diaper in one of her drawers (she has a couple she uses when she plays with her dolls). She said she wanted to "put it on..."

• Rachel: Wanna wear it, Mommy.
• Mommy: Rachel, you don't even wear diapers anymore. You're too big! You are a big girl who wears undies!
• Rachel (as she tugs the diaper between her legs): Wanna try, Mommy.
• Mommy: No, honey, you are too big for that.
• Rachel goes over to her light switch, attempts to flip the switch to turn off the light, grunting dramatically.
• Rachel: Can't reach it, Mommy. I'm not big yet. I'm little.

Touche, Little Girl. Touche.