Huh? Who are you, and what have you done with my crab cake??

I have been a bit whine WAH WAH WAH woe is me about the fact that my girl has been acting, well, ahem, like a 3 year old. The whole independent thing, mixed with a little 'hold me hold me HOLDME', sprinkled with some 'Why? Why? Why?'. Most evenings, when I put her to bed, I quickly tiptoe down the hallway towards my living room, and it is not until I settle on the couch that I realize I have been holding my breath. And it takes me a good 20 minutes to relax, to unwind from the non-stop chatter of 'Why are you doing it that way? Who bought that for me? Can I have a snack? No, I don't want water.'

Each time I think I am on the brink of losing it (it being what is left of my sanity), I remind myself to take a deep breath and count my blessings. I know that she is such a good little girl. I know that I want her to exert her own little independence. I know that I want her to be outspoken, strong, and opinionated.

But does it always have to be with me? (in a whiny, sniffling voice)

Over the past several days, my girl has been so accommodating, so obedient, so pleasant, so.....not a 3 year old. At the store today, she asked for some cookies, and I told her we still had cookies at home. Her response? 'Okay, next time we get cookies' and that was it.

When she asked for a little Polly Pockets thing with 4 bazillion little fricking plastic pieces, I said 'No, it's too close to your birthday for you to be asking for all this stuff'. Her response? 'Okay, I get it next time. Or I will ask my grandma for her to buy it for my birthday party, okay?'

WHAAAAA.....??????

Last night was bath time. Usually, this is a stressful time in our house. She does not like water in her ears or her eyes, yet she refuses to put her head back so I can run water on her hair without it getting in her ears or eyes. Since she was about 5 months old, bath time has been such a love/hate situation in our house. She loves to play in the water, splash the hell out of me, play with her little squirt toys, but hates having her hair washed. Most baths the past 2 and a half years have ended in tears (usually hers, but a handful of times, mine too).

Last night? My girl said 'I put my head like this' and proceeded to put her head back far enough that her hair was in the bath water. My mouth fell open. She closed her eyes and said 'Okay, momma. My eyes are closed. You can pour water now.' I just sat there, and after a few seconds, she cracked open one eye, looked at me and said 'Momma, are you gonna do it or not?' So I did it, and she actually laughed.

Would it be too good to be true that my girl is getting past the tantrum stage? Probably. I won't fool myself into thinking my crab cake is gone for good. But this? This is a wonderful time for me.