Liana does this thing like the lady with the fan, or with a handkerchief. She holds an item... a bottle, a toy, sometimes even a symbolic cloth napkin, and very intentionally drops it. She does this very often in public... restaurant high chairs are big, as is her stroller. She then waits for someone to retrieve this item for her. Sometimes she looks mournfully towards the floor, gazing at the lost item. Sometimes she has already picked out her victim... the person who is meant to retrieve the item, and she gazes steadily into the individual's eyes until he or she bends over to pick the item up and then hand it back to her. Who can resist such an innocent, adorable little baby, who has just lost her beloved .... whatever?

The first stage of the process never fails. Someone bends over to retrieve the item and give it to Liana. If that person then stands back up and continues a conversation or picks up a fork to take another bite or continues waitressing or does anything other than google and play with Liana, the item is back on the floor immediately. The second stage of the pr0cess, of course, is that the person is expected to play or tickle or otherwise engage Liana, probably using the very item that was just retrieved from the floor.

Mom has a new rule. If Liana throws an item on the floor, the item goes in mom's bag. Period.

Enforcing this rule in public, however, is harder than you think. Mom bends over to retrieve item, avoiding contact with said princess, who is holding out her hands in anticipation of receipt of item. Mom then swiftly tucks item out of sight. Several things can happen at this point. Perhaps Liana's sad sad injured pout takes over. Or worse yet, the full-blown faux tantrum. Things become even more complicated if some kind soul beats mom to the floor to retrieve the item. That kind soul is certain that the item should be placed back in the hands of the precious innocent child, who is so clearly waiting to receive it. When the mean nasty gringa lady intercepts and tries to take the toy away, well, clearly she is nothing if not mean.

So lately I've allowed strangers to hand Liana an item once. I then explain that this is a game, and that it was not dropped by accident. Many strangers look suspiciously at my cynicism, but if they were really listening to me and not going goo goo with the princess, the item in question is probably already back on the floor, and my point is made.

Yeah. The kid is smart. And she also has excellent fine motor skills. And being with her is never ever boring.