As promised, here are a few pictures for you. I can't believe how *not* a baby Iliya is these days! He has his own thoughts and ideas and - while he's still working on being able to express them - he can certainly let us know what he's thinking and feeling. He has become incredibly dramatic - which is really funny at times (though we do our best not to crack a smile if he's seriously upset about something) and really frustrating at others (because - who needs to be SO dramatic? I know, my 2 year old does!)

Take, for instance, Tuesday night. I was cooking dinner and Iliya and Nathan were playing in the livingroom. I needed Nathan to run to the store for me, so he asked Iliya whether he wanted to go to the store or stay at home with me. Iliya headed off into his bedroom and said he wanted to stay home and play. Nathan gave him one more opportunity to change his mind, and then left for the store.

A couple minutes into Nathan's absence, I hear (over the monitor) something drop and Iliya start crying. He ran out of his room, and I met him in the living room - he was sobbing, like someone had just hit him (you know, the "in pain & can't catch your breath" kind of sobs). I honestly thought he was hurt. I asked what was wrong, and he said, "Dadaaaaaaa! Go with meeeeeeee!" (translation: Daddy! I want to go with you/him!!")

I asked him, again (just to make sure), if he was hurting. He said, "Laaah, right dere" (yeah, right there) and pointed to his belly. Now, he's been constipated, so that could've been the trigger for the outburst - but it could be that it hurt his feelings deep down to his belly that Nathan went to the store without him.

Really, I think it is that he wanted to go to the store with Nathan and when he realized N had gone without him, he got really upset. I explained that I understood that he was upset, but that he had made the choice to stay at home. He calmed down pretty quickly, but I felt really bad for him. I just don't think he grasps the "finality" of some of the choices he makes. It will take time, I know. And we'll weather the drama. In the meantime, though, I think the kiddo could win an Academy Award!

Moving on...I promised pictures & then got sidetracked. So here you are. As promised. You may wonder what Iliya is doing with a strainer - and I will tell you. For a while, I was so funny about having very strict limits in the kitchen - mostly because when Iliya got things out to play with them, we had to wash them...which took more energy and time. But I've have decided to lighten up a little bit. Getting a couple things out of the kitchen cabinets (and yes, he is limited to choosing just a couple things - to keep him entertained while I cook) is not a terrible thing. Really, the only harm is that we have to wash whatever he gets out. And in the long run, it's not that big of a deal. If anything, he can work on developmental tasks - like stacking, sorting, and being creative with his thinking. Yep, not such a bad deal afterall.

So lest I digress again, here are the pictures... ;)

And a few from bathtime...