My opinionated children

I remember a few months ago I would hear from my friends with daughters that they were so opinionated, refusing to do things and just having very strong opinions about certain things and trying to be independent. I would say that Max wasn't that way at all and didn't even know it was an option to get out of his carseat/get out of his bed/choose what he wanted to wear, etc. Well now I think I am living with a teenager trapped in a toddlers body. He wants to do everything himself. When I'm putting him in and out of the carseat, he wants to put the buckle together and take it apart. There have been a few times I have looked back while I'm driving and Max has somehow gotten his arms out of the straps which is very scary. He also only wants to wear the shoes that he picks out and use a certain sippy cup (the one with elmo and cookie monster on it of course) and read only the books that he chooses and sing only songs that he chooses. He has also become somewhat of a horder. Well, he has done things like this before and used to put things under his legs if he didn't want anyone to take them. Now its all about getting as many of the same thing as he can in his hands and taking them with him everywhere and taking them to bed. He can't just carry around one phone...it has to be my phone, marks phone, mark's blackberry, the elmo phone, the fisher price phone, his new handy manny phone and any other phone in his two hands. He comes up with strategies to carry them all around, putting some under his arm, some in his elbow and then in his hands. He does the same thing with books and now shoes. The other night he put 10 books all around him to go to sleep. He did that for a few nights and then starting yesterday he wanted all of his shoes surrounding him when he went to bed. So weird.

Mallory is also starting to voice her opinion more and cry when anyone but Mommy or Daddy has her. Shes not so great about unfamiliar people being around and she picked a bad time to start being this way because I'm going back to work in 10 days. I guess she will adjust. What happened to the little newborn who just slept all day and didn't ever cry? She turned into a real baby so fast. Shes 3 months old today.