Maya papaya

Here's what it's like to live with Maya lately:


For about an hour of the nearly 2 hour drive to Beals Island (until she fell asleep), Maya aggravated. She kicked the cord to the DVD player. She violated the noise pollution ordinance of the car. She threw food much to the dog's delight.

When we were getting ready to leave the 65th (!!) wedding anniversary of Sandi's grandparents (and thus our reason for traveling to Beals), Maya smacked her great-grandmother (and woman of the hour) in the face as a substitute for the intended kiss.

She put her hand through the screen door. She peed on the floor right in front of her potty instead of on it when I told her she had to pee before we left the house. She swirls toilet paper in the toilet and then pulls it out to examine it. When asked to return the toothpaste to me, she asserts her will by squeezing it with all her might and getting smug satisfaction watching toothpaste drool all over the counter.

We try letting her chew gum like Ella and every few times, despite our stern warnings, she swallows it. When asked about its location she points to her open mouth and says, "It's way down there."

She tells us she loves us as a preamble to any request. "I love you Mommy. Can I have a juice box?" or "I love you Momma. Can I have some plutonium and attempt to build a remote detonating system in the garage?"

You get the idea.

Whenever she touches things she knows she isn't supposed to, she says, "I'm lubbing (loving) it." Such as, "lubbing" a handcrafted pottery mug or a sharp, serrated knife.

She takes ice cubes out of the freezer and then puts them in Tupperware containers and hides them in the house. She fills plastic bags with board books and stashes these too. She hides our remotes and puts our (clean) underwear on her head.



And here she is having her teeth cleaned last week:

And yet...with Ella at school all day Maya has been a like a different kid. Still independent and willful, she is also less defensive of her place and seems to relish having ALL the parental attention. She is, as usual, completely hilarious and very affectionate. She tells us 100 times a day, without prompting, that she loves us and gives big hugs and kisses. (But if you set a limit with her you can forget any of that for at least an hour.)