Oh, She is a Devious Little One

As the primary caregiver, I have typically been the disciplinarian.  I had no problem with this.  When you spend that much time with your child, you become very tolerant of crying.

But Baby Chicken is no slouch.  Sure, she spends a lot of time observing the Wife and I to figure out important things.  Like how to blow on hot food or drink from a glass or brush our teeth.  But she is also observing us for weaknesses.

And she found one.

Baby C recently put into effect Operation: Mommy Phase.  It's a dastardly plan.  So much so that I'm just as proud of her as I am exasperated by its effects.  You see, for the past several weeks, she has made it clear that no one is good enough for her except for The Wife, which you can imagine makes The Wife feel awesome.  But as the one who, until recently, shared every waking moment with her, this leaves me with quite the emotional bruise.

There would be times when I would get the Baby Chicken out of her crib and relish a hug, only to find her squirming out of my grasp and squealing for her mother.  And they were squeals made of daggers.

But, you see, that was only part one of the plan.  Part two involves her slowly letting me back into her life, but only after she'd broken me to the point that all I want is her affection with no room in my head or heart for obnoxious things like rules and proper parenting and child safety.  And so now I bow to her every whim, ever fearful that the Mommy Phase might rear its ugly head again.

Whip smart, I tell you.

That's my girl.