my little trend-setter

Bridget's quickly becoming a trend-setter. I can just see it now: the latest buzz-word that's storming the nation, popping out of mouths everywhere, all started by an almost (in two days) twenty-month-old girl: Not.

Huh? Yes, Bridget's latest favorite word is not. She says a million things by now—I can't keep up and she surprises me every day—but what I hear most often lately, whether she's playing and in a good mood or just plain cranky and uncooperative, is not. And the context she uses it in is just so funny that even if she's made herself go limp and is on the floor trying to throw a mini-fit, I can't help but at least giggle and smile inwardly. Bridget's past her first no phase—she never really used it correctly, anyway, because she didn't know the word yes yet and would answer no to every question—and has decided that not is the appropriate word to use in situations that would normally require no. So: "Bridget, let's go change your diaper."

"Not!" as she walks the other way and continues to play.

Or in the car: "Bridget, how old are you?"

"Not!" as my tired, cranky girl struggles against the five-point harness in her car seat.

"Come on, Bridget, how old are you? What's your name?"

"Not, mommy!" in her most insistent tone. (This is when I stop teasing her just for the sake of hearing her say not.)

Like I said, trend-setter. Buzz-word. Not.