We survived the first day. Claire is on a milk strike. She won’t accept milk (plain, chocolate, or strawberry) offered in any container that is a sippy cup, tumbler, or with a straw. The times she requests milk disintegrate into tantrums and crying, with her pointing at the fridge crying, “Milk! Milk!” and swatting away what is offered in the cup. Claire has developed a habit of saying “I saw-wy” when she gets hurt; it’s her way of communicating that she is hurt. At one point she ran to me crying and saying, “I saw-wy! I saw-wy!” and it was very hard for me to stay stoic. Much of the day she wanted to be in my arms. I expected this. It’s very upsetting to lose a beloved ritual and object. I provided all the cuddling she needed, and Husband and I talked to her about how the Bottle Fairy came and did this because she’s a big girl and can do it herself.

However, the day wasn’t really that bad. When she didn’t get milk the way she wanted, she asked for other food. She also requested yogurt. By the end of the day she had eaten 16 ounces of yogurt, along with many servings of fruit, cinnamon toast, vegetables, chicken, bologna, and a hot dog. She also compensated for the absence of milk by drinking a lot of water, so there’s no risk of dehydration. (And what goes in must come out. She produced six very toxic diapers! Oy!)

We went to three open houses in an area of San Jose that I wasn’t certain I’d like, but one of the houses I did like well enough. We’re still debating our options. After that trip we took Claire to a park we like a lot — it’s always very busy with families playing — and then treated ourselves to a bad-for-us dinner at Popeye’s.

Claire loves her rocking horse. She spent the day riding it and by the end had learned how to mount and dismount by herself. Husband also brought home a discarded keyboard for her to play with, and she’s very happy to “press the buttons” when she’s not rocking.