Is change gonna come?

Don't worry -- I'm not suddenly going to do a political post. :) Just business (so to speak) as usual, for this space.

Our joyful little Maddie has always seemed to get a huge kick out of being on the changing table. I don't know if it's the up-close face-to-face with some of her favorite Big People, but she smiles and smiles and loves to interact there. That's where she giggled for the first time, in fact, on Halloween. (and I don't think she was just laughing at my football jersey and the black under my eyes. But I guess you never know.)

These days, though, she's so active, it's become a real challenge to get that dirty diaper off and a clean one on. It feels like I'm trying to change a diaper on a chicken roasting on a spit; Maddie will flip over to her stomach, then her back, and just keep on revolvin'. She loves giving Mommy a challenge, perhaps?

The generally sure-fire weapon in my arsenal has been my long hair. If I dangle it over her face (putting my head sideways), she grabs it and yanks it back and forth, but at least she is thus occupied and holding still, on her back. This also hurts, and puts my face uncomfortably close to the "action," but it works, so I deal.

What I really don't like are the couple of times she has grabbed my hair, yanked my head close and then employed her froggy kick to my chin. This child is STRONG, y'all. Strong and playful, and almost always happy. I suppose I can't get too upset at damage she doesn't even know she's causing.