Mrs. Bluth and I have tried our hardest to be good examples to Adaline. We have really made an effort to be kind to each other especially in front of her. And when we talk to her, we try our best to be positive and engaging. In spite of all of this, Adaline's favorite and most frequently uttered word is "no". 

And not a half-hearted, cute or bashful "no". It is a forceful demand when it leaves her lips. It is a command, not a suggestion. It clearly indicates her displeasure with whatever subject is before her.

Generally she is a joy to be around and can even be friendly to strangers. She has an engaging smile and her curly hair gives strangers a sense of confidence and approachable-ness. So on the street they will wave and give her a polite salutation. She's quick to scold back, "no!" It sounds like a "how dare you address me, don't do it again".

What are we to do?

Her development is spectacular to witness. She shows interest in many things around her and is very clever. She can point to a couple body parts on command and knows how to manipulate the iPad past the home screen. Sometimes she sees me undress in the morning and knows that shower time is next. So as soon as I start undressing, she runs to the bathroom and wants to get in too. 

And music. She will be running across the room and hear a bar of music and immediately stop, cock her head, and start bouncing to the beat (maybe a little off beat). She loves music and loves to bounce, shuffle, and stall to all of it. She even appreciates me singing to her (though she seems to prefer Mrs. Bluth's voice, for obvious reasons).

I hope her love of music is not a phase and I hope we all survive this "no" phase.

She LOVES to sit on anyone that is laying on the ground.

Escaping to the park when the temperatures were just bearable enough to be outside. 

She really does smile like this most of the day.