18 months old: "no" and "mine"

These past few weeks, my daughter has developed some very definite opinions about her activities, clothing, food choices, everything.  A typical conversation:

Me: Okay, mommy is going to put you down so she can go to the bathroom.

Willful Child (WC): No.

Me: I have to go to the bathroom.  You can come inside, but I have to go.

WC: No.

Me: I'm going now, hold my hand.

WC: NOOOOOO!!!!!

Rationalization doesn't work at this age.  Sometimes options do.  She will scream bloody murder ("NOOOOO!!!") when you offer her Cheerios, but then you offer her something else ("How about some blueberries?") and there might be some hesitation, but "yes" is not in her vocabulary...occasionally, I will get a small, limp, "ahh-right" (all right) when she is ever-so-slightly agreeable.   

One of her favorite activities of the moment is dumping all her toys everywhere and rolling around in them, much in the same way bank robbers in cheesy movies throw money on the floor and roll around in piles of cash.  It looks very satisfying.  Another favorite is breaking crayons and then peeling all the paper off them.  I don't know why her activities are so entropic in nature.  

The other maddening thing right now is how possessive she is.  I know toddlers supposedly develop empathy only in later toddlerhood, but it's a little difficult to watch your child grab a toy to her chest and shout "mine," or shout "share" at another little toddler and then take something away from them.  You can't apologetically explain to another parent, "Sorry, she hasn't yet developed theory of mind yet, other-personed-ness isn't a strong suit right now."  

Some of the cute and funny things, though, are how she likes to run over to try to put her shoes and baseball hat on when she wants to go out.  She also likes burying her face into her stuffed animals when she gives them hugs.  And while "singing," she will wholeheartedly put her hands up in the air and sway with the music and get some lyrics right.  The funniest thing right now is how we've noticed that one of the pieces of her alphabet puzzle are missing - the "Q" has been missing for a while, which we've talked about, and she will randomly, and of her own free will, start looking for the "Q," pawing around her piles of toys, peering under the couches, and tell me "Da Q missing for ah-WILE."  It's also become an excuse for not going to bed -- as I get her ready to get into the crib, she will tell me, "No, mommy, no, no.  Downstairs?  Go downstairs? Da Q missing for ah-WILE." The excuses at bed time, I fear, are just becoming more intricately complex and fabulous.