"Can you beat me? "challenges our cuckoo

Ananya's up to challenging me now. She enjoys squealing"Aaaaaaaaa" and I pitch in, to give her company(U gotta be a baby when u play with a baby:-).The next step is, she squeals louder than I do and gives me a look, to say "Now You!".I answer and she is thrilled.She repeats, this time, even louder, and looks,"Can you beat that,mom?".I am amazed by her spirit, and floored by her determination to beat me.I take my turn.She raises her voice even more, this time around, and nods her head with a big grin,and sends me the message,"Heeeeey I won!Didn't I??"I am overwhelmed with motherly pride and kiss her on her tummy.She enjoys it soooo much,she laughs and giggles,"aheee".
Whenever she is in a mood to play with me, she calls out,"aaay".If she doesn't find me near her, she rolls over,lifts her head, looks around searchingly,and calls,"aay aay" and waits for me to go to her.The glitter in her eyes, at that point, is inexplicable and has to be seen to be fathomed.
So our current hot favourite is the 'Squeal game'. But something that Ananya doesn't know is,shopping malls are not for play. She starts off on the game when waiting in the queues at shopping malls.Obviously, I can't play with her then(not that I mind, but people around would certainly min!!!). So I just say 'hush hush' and smile back to her.
She will take a while before she knows that different places are meant for different things.But right now she very well knows one thing......to smile...and the smile is so infectious.....she makes everyone smile with her.....and everywhere.