AAAAAAAGH!

. . . that's the sound Allison Clare chose to make, at the top of her lungs, while we tried to have dinner with my boss and her husband at our house last night. Our little monkey was not in a bad mood or throwing a tantrum, just in the mood to YELL . . . smiling the whole time. Nothing I tried worked--not giving her a bowl of blueberries to eat, or getting her attention and giving her a firm "no." She would look back at me seriously, then smile, suck in her breath, and let out another "AAAAAAH." Thankfully, our guests were very, very gracious and good-humored about it.

At her age, we can't reason with her, or bribe her, or threaten her, since she doesn't understand abstract language or cause-and-effect. I think we are just going to have to wait her out. Sigh.