Let Me Count the Ways

Let me count the ways... in which Sprite expresses herself these days:

Become disagreeable and refuse requests
Say "No"
Do the opposite of what I want
Say "No, No!"
Ignore me
Say "No, No, No!"
Reject me and go to someone else
Say No, No, No, No!"
Push away when I want to hug or kiss
Say No, No, No, No, No!"
Run away from me
Say No, No, No, No, No, No!"
Pull away and run into the street or another unsafe place
Say No, No, No, No, No, No, No!"
Do something after I have said not to- with a sneaky smile on her face
Say No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No!"

I started to count how many times she said "No" yesterday but I lost count somewhere after 1046.

We were at the Doctor's office yesterday and she was, shall we say, very disagreeable. She gets this from her father by the way! :) No matter what anyone asked her she said, you guessed it, "No." After exhausting my arsenal of toys, books, snacks, and drinks the Doctor, feeling my pain, finally gave her a lollipop just so she could listen to my chest and finish her exam.

While we were at the pharmacy waiting for my prescriptions, several older folks tried to say "Hi" and talk to her but her response was always, "No, no, no, no..." She says it several times in a row just in case we didn't understand her the first time! One gentleman after being rejected even came over and sat next to her. I know he was just trying to be friendly but she was obviously in a mood and did he really think that some stranger approaching her was suddenly going to make her better? She turned over in the chair and proceeded to have a little tantrum-even kicking the stroller. Then just to add insult to injury the Gentleman says, "Boy, she sure is cuttin up today, isn't she?" I just smiled and said, "I should have named her Mary- Mary, Mary Quite Contrary!"

I may have mentioned a time or two or 408...that Sprite is a very independant, strong-willed little girl. And while I joke about this a lot (it's how I cope) I do realize that most of this is fairly normal at this age and will serve her well in the future BUT man, can it be frustrating! If you have any secrets of success on surviving the endless No, No, No's, with hair still left on your head, please feel free to share. :)