Maya is a (very young) woman who knows what she wants. And what she wants is Sesame Street. And a soft pretzel from Target. And to be put down. And some water. And some cheese. And her shoes. And to see the baby upstairs. And Dada. She is in the alternately annoying and endearing toddler habit of repeating the names of things she wants all day, every day. "Elmo. Pretzel. Down. Wa-wa. Geeze. Shoes. Baby. Dada." Offer Maya something she does not want, and she will emphatically bat it out of your hand and insist, "No! No! Noooo!"

One one hand, it's really wonderful to be communicating back and forth with our little bug. On the other hand, we are forced to disappoint her, all day long, by telling her she can't have what she wants. For instance, I can't produce a Target soft pretzel right here in our living room. I'm not going to play three hours of Sesame Street for Maya on the television. It is physically impossible to go see the baby upstairs this week, because that baby is in Florida with her parents. Poor Maya. She's constantly being let down!

It kind of makes me realize how luxurious it is to be an adult, able to act on most of my wants and needs, or at least console myself when I know I can't have them. I'm not forever relying on someone else to decide whether I can or can't get what I want. If I crave a tasty chunk of extra-sharp cheddar, well then, I'll just walk myself to the fridge and get one. And even if I know I can't have Target's cinnamon-sugar pretzel right at this very moment, I can reassure myself that I will buy one next time I'm there.

Anyway, despite my little groans and gripes about Maya's typical toddler behavior, I actually really love the toddler stage so far. It's so much fun and so rewarding watching my little baby grow into an actual---if small---person. She's trying to take an active role in her own life, just as she should be, and she's getting understandably irritated when her attempts are thwarted. Good for her! And really, it's nearly impossible for me to get too mad at someone in golden-blond pigtails.