What part of "No" don't you understand?

Of the many new words that Evelyn has learned and uses, "No" has got to be in her Top 5. Maybe Top 3. And she uses it in a wide range of situations... for example:

"No eat!" (or one time, "No hungy!")

"No bathtime!"

"No pee pee!!" (in response to my telling her that I am going to go pee pee before I read her a book)

"No sit!" (refusing to sit in her highchair)

"No di di!!" (refusing a diaper change)

My personal favorite was when she whispered "Byyyee.... No night night....." while shaking her head and grinning as she slid down the side of our bed one afternoon.

And sometimes, there's nothing like the general, all purpose "NOOOOOO!!!"

She applies this approach to getting dressed sometimes, too. Usually, when she refuses to let me put a shirt on her, all it takes is offering her a choice between that shirt and another one, and she'll happily choose and let me continue dressing her. One time though, she would not budge. I tried appealing to her emerging girly-girl side (where she likes to put on something cute, run to the mirror, and exclaim "Oh! Pretty!!"). So after a rigorous bout of "No"s from Evelyn, I pulled out a shirt with flowers on it and said, "Look, how pretty! Do you want to try it?" and she shook her head vehemently and sobbed "NO PRETTY!!!!"

The worst, though, is when we get ready for work in the mornings. Evelyn has been saying "Papa work. Mama work" in the mornings, and then as evening approaches, before we get home, she says "Papa home. Mama home." You think that's sad enough? Lately, as we bustle around getting ready to go, she'll say "Mama work" and I'll say "Yes, Mama is going to work today" and she'll say "No work!!!"

This morning, I was all dressed and ready to go (and already late for a meeting). Evelyn started looking for ways to delay me, and ran to the couch with book in hand yelling "Mama sit! Mama boot! (book)" So I sat down and said, "OK, let's read this book and then Mama's going to work." So she nestled close to me, thumb in mouth, and we read for a little while (she's into pretty long books these days, like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham). Halfway through the book, I gave her a big squeeze and kissed her on the head. As if suddenly remembering something, she pulled away from me, turned to face me, and started shaking her head. After a few seconds of continued shaking, I stopped reading and said "What's the matter, honey?" She quietly replied, "No work."

Heartbreak.