"I want my mommy"

Lydia and I love each other very much, we just don't show it very often. In fact, the other day while we were having a little spat she looked at me and said, "I want my mommy." I took that to mean that she's done with me and ready for a new one. If only it were that easy...

When I tell my mom stories about Lydia her first reaction is pretty much always laughter and, "you're getting what you deserve." The truth is, she's absolutely right. I have gaps in my memory like everybody else, but I remember some things that I did that remind me of Lydia. The problem is, I remember them like I'm watching a movie, not like I'm involved in any way. Since I can't remember what was going through my mind at the time, I'm very short on ideas for my sweetly insane little Lyd.

I am learning, though. I get mad at Nate sometimes because not only does she keep calm for him, she calms down for him if he gets involved. I've found myself telling on her to him and then adding "will you do something about this?!" Half the time he doesn't even look up, he just says "Lydia, be nice to your mom." As infuriating as that can be, it usually works and we end up laughing about it. Later, after I'm calm. It works better if I stay calm from the beginning, which is what I've been learning. It's tough to keep my cool, though. Here's an example of why:
Lydia: "Can I have some milk?"
Me: "no."
Lydia: "but I want some milk!"
Me: "no."
Lydia: (louder, arms flailing) "I want some milk"
Me: (just as loud) "Lydia, stop saying that! You cannot have any milk."
Lydia: (hysterics setting in): "I want some milk!"
Me: (insanity setting in): "NO, Lydia! Stop. Yelling."
Lydia: (on the ground, screaming, kicking) "MIIIIIILLLLLLLKKKKK!"
Me: (sounds calm inside my head, comes of my mouth as a yell): "For God's sake, Lydia, stop it! That's it, you're going in time out...."
This leads to more screaming on her part, and a lots of muttering and eye rolling on my part. Perhaps a dish placed heavily on the counter.
The moral of the story is...if mom says no to Lydia, go play outside.

I have a hard time figuring out why Lydia doesn't do this to Nate. Most likely it's because he almost never loses his temper so she doesn't bother trying. Also, she's a daddy's girl. This works against me from her side and his. Because sometimes he say's "Oh, poor Lydie." This always makes me choke and gag and yes, laugh because its kind-of funny to see Nate as a softy.

Like I told some friends this morning: Lydia and I will be great friends one day. If we survive each other.