Scene from a kitchen, after a long illness

(This is a vignette from late last week, when toddler had entered the highly querulous phase of her recovery from a severe flu).

Toddler, who has been grizzling and shouting alternately for past hour: "I wanna choc'lut! I wanna cuppa miiiiiiilk! I wanna yolly!"

Me, after deep breath, calmly, "No, C."

She, doing a frustrated little dance on the spot, bellows "I wanna APPLE then! APPLE! APPLE! AAAAAAAPPPPPLLLLLE!!!!!!"

Me, with sigh: "If I give you an apple, will you stop whining for 10 minutes?"

She, tipping her head to one side in contemplation: "I not sure. We 'ave to see. Won't we, Mummy?"

Me, smiling in spite of myself: "I guess we will, C."

She takes one bite of her apple, pulls a dreadful face, and shrieks: "It's YUKKY! I wanna STAWBEWWY! I wanna BIT A CHEESE! Muuuuuummmmmmeeeeee...."