I've got a deal for you...

Elisabeth loves to make deals. The types of "deals" that a preschooler comes up with, though, are VERY one-sided. She'd make a great politician.

Yesterday, our neighbors called to see if Elisabeth wanted to go play with their little boy. Now any of you with children probably know that kids take forever and three days to get ready. Getting ready to get out of the house goes like this:

Me: "come on Elisabeth, time to get ready to go to the grocery store."
E: "I don't want to go. Why don't you go and I'll stay home?"
Me: "Because they'll arrest me."
E: "arrest you?"
Me: "yes, we've been over this before. the men will come and take me away and put me in jail."
E: "like Curious George?"
Me: "Yes, exactly like that, now put on your pants."
E: "I don't want to wear pants. I want to be a grownup so that you can go to the store without me."
Me: "too bad. do you want me to count to 3?"
E: "no." (reluctantly puts on pants)
Me: "OK, now find your shoes" (E scampers off)
Me, a few minutes later: "WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS?!?!?!"

repeat.

So, it turns out that when your kid has the right incentives, they can get dressed at crazy fast speed. That kid had pants, a jacket, socks and shoes on before I had gotten off the phone. And off we went. Our yard is still covered in snow so instead of cutting across, I suggested taking the long route - down our driveway, down the street, and up their driveway. We got halfway up their driveway when I remembered that we had forgotten the two snack bags of Cheeze-its she had picked out for herself and her friend. Any of you with young kids know that forgetting something of this magnitude is just asking for a major meltdown. So I told her that we had forgotten them and asked if we needed to go back and get them. Of course we did. So back down the driveway we go.

Not three steps in, she stops in her tracks and says "Just wait a minute, Mommy. I have a deal for you. How about YOU go get the Cheeze-its and I'll go inside and wait for you. Is that a good deal?" To which I replied, "NO, that is NOT a good deal at all. A deal is when both sides get something in return. Going to get your Cheeze-its in the cold, by myself, doesn't give me anything." So she thought for awhile and said, "so, I have to go with you?" "YES." "Never mind, I don't want Cheeze-its. Maybe Gavin has something I can eat."

In other news, I am either the world's worst mother, or Charlotte slept for 6 straight hours last night. She was coughing at 12:45, so I got up to feed her (after feeding her at 10:45). When I came back, I turned down the monitor. Maybe I was a little annoyed at having to feed her every 2 hours for the past two weeks, maybe I turned it down a little more than I intended? Next thing I knew it was 6:30 and I was waking up from the most blissful 6 hours of sleep I can remember (it has been since at least June 2007). I have no idea what happened in those intervening hours. Doug thinks she slept. I think she screamed and we didn't hear it. Perhaps sometimes the ends do justify the means???