My niece recently learned the word "no." She says it all the time now. I think it's great that she's learning to use her "no" muscle right now, so that later on in life, she will know her limits and boundaries. However, it is really disheartening to hear a cute little kid whom you love very much say in your face, "No." "Ellie, your dress is pretty." "No." With a shake of her head. "Ellie, wanna sit next to Auntie?" "No." There was even a time when I just looked at her, and she pointed to me, saying, "No!" There are many different ways to react to this kind of normal toddler behavior. There's Danny's reaction, which is pure, unconditional love. When she says "no" to Danny, he immediately says to her, "I still love you Ellie. Uncle loves Ellie!" I think this kind of love wins her over in the end. Then there's another member of the in-law family, who shall remain nameless, whose reaction is more conditional. When Ellie says "no" to him/her, he/she says, "If you're not interested in me, I'm not interested in you."

I, on the other hand, am somewhere in between. I believe that there are natural connections you make with people in general. Like, when I saw Ellie interact with Auntie Maggie, you can see that they have this natural connection. It's great! I will always love Ellie (my unconditional side), but if we don't have natural connections, I'm not going to force her to give me kisses or let me hold her, or whatever else people expect from little kids.

Having said that, I usually bribe her to get her to come to me. I'm shameless like that. I used candy, fruit, and Christmas presents this past week to win her affections. Oh well. I'm human. I need people to like me. Even little kids.

Do you remember the days of yore when we took school pictures? Well, I still get school pictures! For FREE. Yesterday I passed out the pictures to my students, and watched as they carefully opened their packages in desperate anticipation. Especially the girls. After some sighs and oohs and ahhs, the trading of pictures began. "I'll give you one if you give me one." I wonder if they write "You're neat" or "BFF" on the back of the pictures before they exchange them.

Anyways, I thought I looked great in this picture! Sure, my head is tilted way too much to the right, and my uneven skin tone can never be properly covered with foundation, but... my nostrils are not showing! I remember the photographer had said to raise my chin a little, and I said through my grin, "Uh, no thanks, I'll stay like this." Plus, I've come a long way in school pictures. I don't think I've liked any of them. Perhaps I should post the one from 7th grade just to show you a sampling of what I went through.