Alita has learned the word "no." Sometimes it's cute; when she does something that usually elicits a "no" from us, she'll say it herself. "No" as she sticks her finger in her nose. "No" as she turns her cup of milk upside down on the table (or floor, or lap). "No" when she attempts to electrocute herself in our shockingly (ha!) nonbabyproofed living room. And sometimes it's not so cute: she is beginning to assert her desires, and when we thwart them by taking away a toy, etc. we'll hear that dreaded word several times at top volume. She also has a fearsome scowl when she thinks she may not get her way, which makes me fear for the teen years. Another ominous sign: her penchant for jewelry. She has a thing for watches and necklaces (which she calls "necky"). She particularly enjoys layering the latter in a cacophany of shiny strangulation hazards, which I think makes her more fashion forward than me. On a positive note, she has developed a serious interest in books. Her favorites are "Goodnight Gorilla," Richard Scarry's "Please and Thank You Book," and "Busy Busy Town." When we ask her to go get a book she'll toddle over to her bookshelf, grab a masterpiece and bring it back so she can sit in our laps- quite fun! Nadia reads them to her in Russian, but we're a little slow in that department- I've only learned a few body parts and animals. Her language skills are developing fast in both languages. We don't know how many she can say since we can't count the Russian ones, but I think she's already ahead of some wrestlers I knew in college. Finally, Al has learned to give kisses. Sort of. When prompted for one she'll lean in and plant her lips somewhere on your face; if you're lucky she'll remember to close them first.
