The many faces of "No!"

Teaching your 9 month old the meaning of no - Interesting stuff. Even more interesting? When they know what it means and listen! And more interesting, still? When they know what it means, listen, and then tests the waters just a little bit more. This is cute at 9 months. I know when he hits 9 years, I will no longer think of it as cute... but I am living in the now!

We take Brody with us everywhere, for the most part, we don't have too many nearby babysitters to just call on the fly, so he goes lots of places. He is really good too, most of the time. But he is in that curious stage where he feels the need to touch, grab, pull on, and put everything in his mouth!

We were at a restaurant last weekend when Brody reached for the fork at the table. Corey told him "NO" and he gets the most adorable little pout for a second (think Michelle on Full House) then thinks about it, and stops the action. For a minute. Then he goes back to it one more time, just to see what he can get away with. At this particular restaurant, he stopped reaching for the fork, pouted, looked at his daddy with a mischievous little grin and never taking his eyes off his daddy, touched the fork with his pinky finger. Only for a second, until he knew Corey had caught him again. And repeat. After the third round of this he actually listened! But now he knows 100% what no means, and he does not like to hear it. He knows that that pout melts his mommies heart each and every time!



No Brody, you cannot eat the dirt!



No Brody, you cannot bite the dirty swing!



No Brody, you cannot pull on that phone charger! (a big parenting oops on my part leaving it plugged in while he was cruising around in his car!)