we’ve been testing a hypothesis at dinner the past few nights. somehow ella’s under the impression that there’s only one definition of ‘cookie’. to her, a cookie is, and only ever will be, an oreo.

she’ll ask for a cookie when she’s finished, or almost finished, with her dinner. this means, by this time, she’s flung whatever dinner is left onto the floor for fargo or has pushed her plate away and pouted, “no.” if she’s eaten a decent amount or we’ve been able to bribe her with an assortment of food that she’ll allow us to talk her into eating (yogurt, apples, bread, hotdog, etc.), then we’ll ask her if she wants a cookie. of course the answer is yes and tony goes and gets one. her very first cookie experience was an oreo, so she obviously has some fond memories attached to it. and it’s not like she’s never had other cookies before; my mom and sister have take care of that every time they see ella. so i’m not sure where the narrow-mindedness comes from.

twice now, instead of offering her an oreo, we offered a chocolate chip cookie. and not just any chocolate chip cookie, the kind from costco. mmmmm. they’re soft and big and full of chocolate chip-y goodness. how can anyone, much less a toddler, resist such a treat? “you want a cookie?” *dangle the non-oreo product in front of her* “nooooo!” *ella squirming in her chair as if being forced to eat brussel sprouts* it’s hilarious. she wouldn’t even take a little crumb that was mostly chocolate chip. no, sirree. give me oreos, or don’t bother.

so out came the oreo and finally everyone was happy.