The Murphiac and Me

Monday with my Murphy was... how to put it... awful horrible stressful challenging. To begin the day, I greeted the Murph just shy of 8 AM where I discovered that she'd removed the large canvas art piece from above her crib. 'Murphy! What did you do?' I cheerfully asked. Her response was a casual, I don't give a flying flip, 'Uh-oh. Dropped it.' I slipped it back onto the nails only to have her look me straight in the eyes and casually knock it right back down and repeat the same phrase. And so began a day which, I think, can best be viewed through the lens of Newton's Third Law of Motion. If you need a quick physics refresher, Newton concluded that 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and that the forces of two bodies on each other are directed in opposite directions.'
I first made the link to physics and my (barely a) toddler when trying to keep her happy while Big Sis participated in her gymnastics class. Once I made the connection, though, I was able to retrace our entire morning and apply its events to the theory. Here goes...

Mommy: sweetly jokes with Murphiac (note that Murphy Girl's name has been appropriately changed to reflect her demeanor) about removing room decor
Murphiac: stares Mommy blatantly in the eyes and repeats naughty behavior

Mommy: gently reminds Murphiac that we do not remove glass dishes from the cabinet
Murphiac: slams the cabinet door open, hitting the refrigerator, and begins feverishly tossing lids all over the kitchen floor

Mommy: lays Murphiac down on the changing table and begins cleaning her fanny
Murphiac: vigorously begins grabbing the (used) wipes

Mommy: reminds Murphiac that we don't touch dirty wipes
Murphiac: begins spastically slapping Mommy about her torso

Mommy: sternly tells Murphiac that we don't hit
Murphiac: slaps Mommy square in the face (hard)

Mommy: removes Murphiac's little fingers from a drawer that does not contain toys
Murphiac: emits a blood curdling scream and jerks the drawer right open (causing its contents to spill to the floor)

Mommy: puts Murphiac into the bath with big sis in an effort to keep her contained for five minutes
Murphiac: covers the entire floor in water with her splashing and makes big sis cry with a quick and deliberate scratch

Mommy: takes a moment to call  (grand) Mommy on the phone
Murphiac: climbs the stairs and begins using the toilet as a wading pool (well, for her arms at least)

Mommy: hangs up on (her) Mommy and races upstairs
Murphiac: arches her back and wails when being removed from the scene of crime

Mommy: scoops up Murphiac before she stumbles onto a dangerous area of the gymnastics floor
Murphiac: falls to the ground, screams, and begins air-swatting at Mommy (in front of a bleacher full of people)

This list of actions and reactions could go on for pages, but I think these ten have gotten my point across. I should add that the events on this list all occured between the hours of 8 AM and 1 PM, and that I was forced to self-medicate by scarfing down a slice cold pizza and a chocolate toffee bar between events seven and eight. While my Murphiac did her best to provide a clear demonstration of Law #3, I'm not sure she really understood the equal part of the theory as her reactions clearly superseded my actions. Regardless, I do like to look on the bright side: we can always use new nicknames around our house...

She's a Murphiac, Murphiac on the floor...