New things, and a toddler smackdown

New things:
--We’re phasing cow’s milk into Annika’s daily diet now, and because she hasn’t liked any of the sippy cups we’ve tried, but took to a straw really well, we got a few of the straw-sippy cups, which she is really getting the hang of. She can even say a word that means milk (“muh!”), and holy schnikes, does she look cute walking around drinking out of it!

--We’re also trying to phase out the baby foods; she’s been ready for more complex food for awhile, but the convenience and variety of the ready-made kind is hard to top. Anything that can be cut or torn into small pieces is good – she’s enjoyed pasta, beans, tortillas, pears, bananas, bread, onion bagel with cream cheese, etc. so far. Now I’ve just got to get better about dicing and cooking sweet potatoes, carrots and so on.

--Language acquisition continues apace: Several times now, she’s replied “Bye-bye Daddy!” when he says “Bye-bye baby!”, instead of just repeating what he said. She’s imitating lots and lots of words, and seems to be using “bye-bye” when she wants something to go away or be stopped.

--She’s getting curious about clothes (sometimes ours, mostly hers). Often in the mornings or after naps, we find her shirtless, having spent some time working out just how to get her arms and torso out, and waving the discarded article around like a bullfighter. It is hilarious, but impractical …

--Dancing – oh my, you should see this kid dance! She loves music – she just gets this HUGE smile on her face and starts bouncing up and down, arms out to her sides and head bobbing. She’ll add a few spins here and there (until she gets dizzy and falls on her butt), and nothing makes her happier than when other people start doing it too. She likes anything with a good beat (including my workout DVDs), but her true favorite song is, as always, Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown.” When R. plays it on his guitar, she’s just about transported with joy, dancing like a little maniac.

Toddler smackdown:
Monday night, R. came home with her from daycare (aka baby school), saying the daycare lady told him this other girl, the daughter of R.’s co-worker, who’s almost 2, had pulled Annika’s hair. Forget that this kid is not even 2 years old and has a new baby sister, which might conceivably add to her wee toddler stress level – I wanted to go find her and deliver a ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO HER HEAD. She apparently pulled everyone’s hair that day, so it’s not like she singled out our baby, and I'm sure she's a fine kid otherwise, but I still have absolutely murderous feelings toward her. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t there to witness it, or there might’ve been Trouble.