Sippy Love

Tonight, Anika fell asleep cuddling her new lovey:  a sippy cup.  It is an odd choice for a cuddly object, yes, and it leaks, too, but she has reached for it the past few nights during teething escapades (and by that I mean shrill screaming and grasping at her mouth and me wishing that there was injectable, instantly-working ibuprofin) and, miraculously, gone quiet while gnawing on its BPA-free spout.  She has a kazillion sippy cups of varying sizes, shapes, and oh-my-god-please-don't-leak-on-the-nice-carpet types, but somehow this has become the holy grail of sippies.  She looks kind of odd snuggling close into its cold, wet surface, but why would I expect this little individualistic being to choose the run-of-the-mill blankie?

We've been weathering some rough economic storms of late (hey you, Bank of America, nice job spending that eensy bit of the pie you had ostensibly allocated for small businesses on lengthy and annoying advertisements about how you are here to help out small business owners. Very clever of you to make it look like you're doing something when actually it's just flimsy packaging to hide your LIES, LIES, LIES. What are you, a card-carrying Tea Party member now?) and honestly, if we didn't have Anika and each other, I'd be more than just angrily scraping wall paper glue off of our bedroom walls.

[Random side note] Which I am doing, btw. Day 2 of this misery. Keeps the mind busy, and apparently a really great arm workout because it literally hurts to type right now. Oh, pink floral 1990s border, you are almost in your grave and I can't wait to paint over your old hang-out.

Also, if you're not bored yet, here are Anika's latest words:

• Hi! (accompanied by huge, toothy grin)
• cheese! (ditto)
• night-night (it's a miracle but lately she is actually ASKING to go night-night...still takes us over an hour to go through the process, but Sippy the Sidekick is helping out as much as he can and it pretty much rocks)
• ka-ca (yes, I know the Spanish slang, and honestly I'm not sure what she is really saying here, only that it is a legitimate word for her because she only says it when I open the garage door and she points outside. As far as I know, there is no sh*t in our front yard. But trust me, if there is, she will find it).
• tickle (good thing she likes being tickled because her little feet are irresistible)
• brother (she started pointing to my ever-expanding tummy a few weeks ago, and when I explained that it was a baby -- before we knew the sex -- she would go get her baby doll. Now, I say brother, and thanks to that she likely is under the impression that any big belly = brother. Whenever she sees it, she says 'brother' and wants to pat and kiss it. C'mon, doesn't that just make your heart melt?!)

Speaking of the baby, I'll leave you with my latest embarrassing pregnancy story: forgetting my expanding girth, I got myself wedged between the cart and the two-for-a-dollar candy bars while reaching for groceries to put onto the check-out belt this afternoon. Yes, it was as awkward as you are imagining. And no, I didn't buy the Snickers (altho I was tempted).