Niranjana, Melissa and Andy

Niranjana's imagination gets a little long-winded sometimes. The teachers have tried to impress upon her that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The concept of wrapping things up and keeping things succinct and to the point has not sunk in. This does not bode well for a career as a newspaper copy editor.

Oh, there's also been a little bit of lethal flair to some of her stories lately. We're not worried, although we're watching it and definitely aren't encouraging it.

Scooby Doo really is educational. Niranjana now knows the appropriate use of the word "negatory."

I found this out when I told her we're having tortellini and brussels sprouts for dinner.

"No way, negatory, not me," she declared with a grin. "I'm having my own dinner."

Negatory, I said.

Thanks, Shaggy.

Niranjana has successfully eaten her way up to almost the 50th percentile, that medical curve based on white kids born in North America.

When she arrived in September 2007 , she was at about the 17th percentile. On that first visit to Dr. Cain, at age 3.5, she She was 36.5 inches tall and 30 pounds.

Last week, at her 6-year-old wellness check, she was 45.5 inches tall and 47 pounds. Solidly a size 6.

Niranjana plays soccer at preschool. I'm told that she's often the only girl playing soccer on the playground with the boys, and that she holds her own. Seems that skill is earning her a special place in the hearts of these young Beckhams.

Leif is our dear friend. His mother reported recently that Leif said he wants to marry Niranjana. Frankly, I'm OK with this.

Jonathan is another friend. Not as close as Leif, but we know his parents and see them occasionally. He recently announced that he also wants to marry Niranjana. I'm open to this young man.

Thursday was the 60th anniversary of India Republic Day, the day India's constitution became law. This is one of India's biggest national holidays.

To celebrate, the India Association of the Tri-Cities held a cultural program Sunday at the Battelle Auditorium in Richland. Niranjana and several other children participated with one of many dances, piano solos and songs.

Here is Niranjana's performance (the soundtrack had some technical issues, but the kids worked through it).

About three weeks ago, I was contacted by a mom I met through round-about circumstances. She is Indian, is involved in the India Association of Tri-Cities and knows about Niranjana. So she invited our little girl to be part of an impromptu, short-lived preschool dance group for a Republic Day recital on Jan. 31.

This is our third Christmas with Niranjana, but it's the first one that feels like it should, like a real Christmas.

Two years ago, Niranjana had been home with us for three months. Frankly, she didn't really "get" Christmas and she and I were still having attachment issues.

Andy picked up Niranjana from preschool Monday and took her to Kiwanis lunch, to see Santa at the mall, to pick out some Christmas gifts for moms and grandmothers, and to mutually select Niranjana's gift from Daddy at Toys R Us.

They spent about five hours together. Three bathroom trips. And apparently zero tantrums, arriving home safe, happy and tired.

Two funny tidbits were reported in the past week by our Aunt April, who gets a different perspective of our daughter based on her timing at preschool and the comments from her precocious son, our friend Leifer.

On the playground:

"This morning when I dropped Leif off, Niranjana was playing goalie in soccer. She cracked me up as Leif and Isaac were walking out together. She yelled, “Hey you two, my team needs someone fast!” Leif was more than willing to go help out!

On gender roles:

Leif: “When I get older I am going to wear a dress.”

We are the proud parents today of a new reader.

Niranjana brought home her first little phonics book from pre-kindergarten and is able to read it all the way through. It's a milestone to take it home, as she had been working on it last week at school. The plot is thin — a cat named Max uses a pan and fat ham to nab a bad rat. But it's reading! See the video at http://www.youtube.com/andyperdue.