I know every woman does it. In fact, I do it all the time. I might even be a master of the art form. So it should come as no surprise that my daughter would start a wee bit early with the whole It's a Woman's Prerogative to Change Her Mind at Any Moment thing.

A few months ago, if you had asked me how Alexis felt about the cats going in to her room, I would have relayed to you her habit of giving birth to a very large cow every time she caught one in there. She has been known to literally kick them out and slam the door on a tail or two in her haste to get them to "GO OUT NOW!"

Her middle of the night complaints about cats entering her sacred quarters had gotten so bad that I had to start closing her bedroom door at night, thereby ensuring that her toes would be blue from her sleeping in a meat locker. I don't know why the heating vent in her room blows so bad, except that it's probably more like it doesn't blow. It's frackin' cold back in her room, so an open door is her only hope for warm tootsies. No matter, it turns out that my child came equipped with a kick butt internal heating system and a preference for icy cold air over any creatures entering her room at night.

But that was then. Now? She has changed her mind. Suddenly. Without warning.

One night last week, I forgot to close her door and later discovered that Coal had been sleeping right in that wee little toddler bed with Alexis. I stared in awe because this was truly a monumental occasion. She's been known to rip a cat's head off for even looking at her bed. I know she's a light enough sleeper that she knew he was there. And yet? He survived the night and he even got to keep his head.

A few days later, I discovered the Toddler sitting on her bed reading Coal a story. He's a goofy little thing who is desperately starved for attention, so he was playing along in hopes that her pudgy little fingers would somehow end up rubbing on his little head. He was granted his wish, and Alexis was delighted when he awarded her by making obnoxiously loud purring noises. It seemed my little girl had finally discovered there's a critter in this house that is always game for a cuddle and will do whatever he has to for a little love.

Tonight, I witnessed something I would have never thought could happen. She who once screamed, "MOMMMMMMMY, KITTY GO AWAY!" in the middle of the night, using a tone of desperation I personally would save for a knife-brandishing intruder, gave birth to a very large cow for a whole new reason. It wasn't because the cat was in her room, it was because he wasn't. Tears and screams and howls flew out of her mouth after I tucked her in for the night. It took a while for me to decipher her complaints amongst the blubbering sobs, but I finally figured out what she was saying,

"I want Coal Kitty."

The kid would not go to bed without her cat.

So, I searched the house, high and low, trying to find the allusive and really tiny Coalio (that's his rapper name). I finally found him whisker deep in a bowl of kitty food. I scooped him up, against his will, and hauled his little behind up the stairs. Miss Mega Meltdown was so upset she was oblivious to the little bundle of cuddles that I had tossed onto her bed. He was so freaked out by her sobbing that he took off running. Cue a bigger meltdown. Cue the cat running faster and farther. Cue Mommy ripping every hair out of her head as she chased a freaked out cat and tried to calm a freaked out Toddler.

Eventually I was able to soothe the cat enough to convince him to stay put, and then turned my energies towards calming the child enough for her to notice that she had gotten her way. Now, as I type this, they are all cuddled up in the tiny little bed, both as happy as can be.

Yup, my kid is officially a member of the We Change Our Minds All the Time Girls Club.