Lil Ketchup Dipper, Chica and a Question for My Readers who are Parents

I think I've talked about this before, but now there's more to say: Ella has a ketchup-dipping problem.

We went to Five Guys, and again, she recognized the red stuff in the small plastic cups.  "Eh!  Eh!  Eh!" she whined, holding out her fry.  Tom attempted to take the fry from her tiny fingers.

"Eh!"  she retracted her hand from his grasp.

Tom looked at me.  "I think she wants to do it herself!"

I shrugged.  "Go ahead and let her try, but YOU are the one cleaning the ketchup off her fingers!"

Tom extended the ketchup cup toward Ella.  She gingerly took her fry and dipped it into the cup, then put the red-tipped fry into her mouth, sucked off the ketchup and reached her fry out for more.

Curious and amused, Tom allowed her access to the cup again.  Experiencing this new freedom, Ella began bouncing in the high chair...a bit too much.  Her whole fist went into the cup.  But my clever little kid didn't miss a beat - she snatched up a fry in her clean hand, holding it toward the ketchup cup, "Eh!  Eh!  Eh!"

I've also realized that she does the whole "Eh!  Eh!  Eh!" thing while pointing at the trash can.  But, I guess I'll have to pick those battles on my own :)

Ella is crazy, crazy, crazy about Chica.  For those of you who don't know who Chica is, she is a puppet "co-host" of The Sunny Side Up Show on PBS Sprout.  Chica is a chicken puppet, she's orange, she has big, round eyes, instead of talking, she makes a squeaking sound, and Ella LOVES her.  So, every morning, from 9-12, we watch the Sunny Side Up Show so Ella can watch the snippets of Chica between cartoons and other educational programming.

What confuses me, though, is occasionally, they will also have Chica's Mom on the show.  Chica's Mom looks like Chica, except she's brown.  Also, she can say random words and phrases in between clucking sounds.  For example: when asked what types of exercises she liked to do,  Chica's Mom replied, "Bock bock, yoga!  Bock bock pilates!  Bock bock dancing!"

I think the perfect program for Ella to watch would have Chica, non-stop for, like eight hours, also featuring Barney, and together, Chica and Barney would teach the "Your Baby Can Read" programs.  That would be helpful.

I have the first installment of the "Your Baby Can Read" series, but it's so hard to find time to fit it in during the day, especially when we're out and about for most of the day.  I don't want her to miss any Chica, because it puts her in a great mood (until 11am, when she's ready for a nap), but I really want her to learn to read and comprehend.

Up until now, I thought writing a book would be the hardest thing to do...parenting SO trumps that!!!

Also, I don't know if it's a nation-wide commercial, or only here in PA, but Ella is obsessed with that Berger and Green lawyer commercial, but only the one with the little bald guy.  Every time it comes on TV, she just stares at it, mesmerized.

I love my little weirdo.

Okay, now I have a question for my readers who are parents: how do you get a toddler to eat when they push food away, throw it on the floor, or throw a tantrum when you try to feed them?  The only thing Ella would eat the other night was saltine crackers.  She also will eat French fries, but, I can't give her meals of only saltines and fries!!!  She's even throwing nuh-nana's on the floor, and they were her favorite!!

Suggestions are sincerely hoped for!!!