You're Right, You're Right, I Know You're Right

(from When Harry Met Sally, my favorite movie)

Though our week, especially the last three days, has been jam-packed with all sorts of summertime fun, Annie continued to be, shall we say, challenging. I know she's only three, and bound to struggle with discipline and self-control and limits, but what really gets me is the repeated mistakes and the total lack of remorse. One day, after a particularly horrible episode which resulted in all her dolls being taken away, I attempted to have "a moment" with her as she had her bath at night.

"Annie," I said calmly, "I love you so much and I want us to have fun together. I don't like it when we have hard days like this, because it's no fun. The choices you're making are not OK, though, and I'm going to have to keep taking things and privileges away until you can make the right choices. I know you can do better. How do you feel when Mommy takes away your things because you don't listen?"

She looked right at me and said, "Happy. I feel happy."

The next day, when we were heading inside after a nice picnic lunch with neighbors, Heidi said graciously: "Annie, thank you so much for having a picnic with us today." And Annie said, hatefully and for no good reason at all, "You're NOT welcome."

I was lamenting these things to Connie on the phone, ending with the fact that, boy, was I glad that I had decided to go ahead and let the girls stay with my in-laws for the week because I wasn't sure if I could take one more week of Annie. She listened, made all the appropriate, sympathetic comments, and then said, "You know she's going to be adorable on Friday or Saturday just before she leaves, though, right? Just to make you feel all guilty . . ."

Connie is right about many things (paint colors and wine selection spring to mind immediately), and she was right about this, too. Yesterday, I took Annie to the beach for the morning, and we had the best time digging a giant hole, eating ice cream, running into the big waves and jumping them, swinging, making mud piles. She made me so proud at her last dance class of the summer session on Thursday, all proper in her tap shoes. And today I painted her toenails while she sat, rapt with attention, before we spent another day at Lake Michigan with some neighbors. Looking back at the pictures, I'm reminded again just how crazy I am about my girl, even when she's driving me crazy. For her part, Jemma has been the most hilarious, cuddliest, mischevious, adorable thing ever, these last few days. I'm looking forward to some days of peace, but I'm missing my cuties already.