Nonononononononooooooooo!

Ugh.  I totally jinxed myself with that gooey "Miss Manners" post.  The moment I hit the "send" button on that one, I swear, Miss-Mannered A. disappeared.  The girl has gone "nonononono" on me and the whole family (after we work so hard to use "no" alternatives to avoid this very situation). No, she doesn't want to get dressed. No, she doesn't want to take a bath.  No this, no that. And trust me:  we're not asking. She's just refusing.  EVERYTHING.  In the last 24 hours, I think she may have even said "no" to thin air. Ironically, I picked up this book at the library today . . .

I recognize those characters.  The mama:  me; the baby:  A.  This book must be about A., right?  And your baby, too?!

Honestly, I've refrained from reading it to the rebel (why on earth encourage her?), but at the very least I've found some comfort knowing that this "nonononononononoooooooooooooooo!" stuff is not new to toddler-hood and is so popular, in fact, that there's a children's book about it (and, most likely, 15,000 parenting manuals).  Meanwhile, I'm just going to hold my breath and trust that this, too, shall pass . . .