Complaints department

Yesterday was one of those sunshiny days. I picked up two happy kids from school. There was a lot of laughing and silliness over dinner.  Bath time consisted of made up songs and loud singing. 

This morning? Not so much.

We overslept so I sent Tad into the shower while I went to rouse the kids.  Coen was already up and in the process of shutting his door as I came up the stairs.  Lucy just scowled at me. 
"Good morning!" I said cheerfully.
She waved me away with a grunt.
"Well." I continued. "I'm going downstairs." And I lay her clothes out on the floor.
"Mommy!" She called angrily after I'd been down there awhile.
I went back up. She was still tucked beneath her blankets.
"I wanted DADDY to wake me up." She said.
"Well, honey, we slept late, so I'm doing it."
She grunted some more and after her non-verbal protests about me going back downstairs, I went anyway.
Finally she came down and balked at the breakfast I'd set out.
"I don't like cereal!"
"What? You don't like cereal? Since when?"
But I gave in and made her a bagel.   She came marching in the kitchen with her bagel.
"What is this BLACK stuff?" She demanded.
"What? Did you start working for the complaints department this morning?" Tad said.
"I don't like this black stuff."
It wasn't black stuff. It was just the bagel showing through because I hadn't spread the cream cheese on thickly enough.
The morning went on like that and at one point I stomped into the kitchen.
"She's not trying to infuriate you." Tad said.
I knew that.  But she was infuriating me nonetheless.

By the time I kissed her goodbye in her classroom, we'd made amends.  And she is infuriating.  But she's strong. And wild. And my multi-layered girl.  And when she's a teenager. We ALL better look out.