She's cute and smart and 99% of the time she's a joy to be around... and I'm repeating this like a mantra today because I swear that Emily, my 4-year-old, really wants me to toss her in a box and ship her somewhere. Anywhere.

We haven't had major difficulties with her since bringing the new baby home. She's a bossy kid anyway - comes from having two "assertive" parents and being an only child for 4 years, I think - and has definitely gotten bossier and more outspoken in the past 2 months. But I've watched her at preschool and the other little beasts are acting the same way, so I'm thinking it's more a developmental thing than a specifically little-brother thing.

How is it that they have this instinctual understanding of exactly which words are most likely to make us insane??? I asked her - nicely - to get dressed this morning, and this child who has gotten dressed nicely and by herself every day for the past year looked at me and said, "You can't make me." And for just a moment my reaction was, "I can TOO make you, wanna see?!?!?" But then my impulse control kicked in and I was able - through gritted teeth - to remind her that if she wants to go to the store today she needs clothes on (she's a nudist at home, not sure why).

And oh, the whining. For no reason, in response to the most benign suggestions, and apparently she has the capacity to whine indefinitely - at least, that's been the case so far today. We use the line, "I'm sorry, I can't understand whining, can you try again?" and I've seriously considered just taping it and playing it on repeat this morning. It's almost a given that each sentence has needed to be repeated 2 or 3 times today, obviously with breaks in between for the drama and angst.

I do love her, I do, I do... I just really, really wish that today was a school day for her...