WHAT?! GO AWAY!

On our car rides Maria and I often sing different songs together. Here was today's conversation:

Me: Maria what song should we sing today?
Maria: No singing!
Me: What? No singing?! Oh no! What are we supposed to do instead?
Maria: Eat!
Me: Oh! That's my girl! (as I munch on a breakfast bar)
Maria: Mommy, are you eating? Can I have some?
Me: I was eating, but I already finished my bread, so I can't give you any.
Maria: WHAT?!

I've realized now that Greg and I say "What?!" often enough, so that it's now part of her vocabularly. Another phrase that has recently sprung up is "Go away!". Over the couple of months I think she has used it on Abuela and Papa, Nana and me. She usually has said it when we go to get her out of her crib and she doesn't want to get out. This week she used it twice in one day - once when having a meltdown at the front door and she wanted to me to go inside before her and later in the day at the grocery store when she was done and wanted us to leave and got mad so she finally just yelled go away! to me. Well that night I was telling Greg that I have no idea how she came up with the phrase or where she ever heard it. Alas, my husband who has probably read the Cat in the Hat more times than he ever thought he would, reminded me of the lines in the book where the fish is telling the cat to "go away"! UGH! All along I thought this was an innocent cute book and was oh so proud that Maria had memorized most of it and would recite it...only to have it lead my toddler to telling her mommy to "go away!" when she doesn't want me around! Goes without saying that the Cat in the Hat is on hiatus for the time being.