Catalan word of the day: gronxar

I spent the morning with M's nieces, and by "spending the morning" I mean pushing two-year-old Sora on her swing while six-day-old Seyna slept. Some time ago I learned the words "gronxar" (to swing) and its relation, "gronxador" (swing), from Sora, who likes to ask anyone with available hands to put her in her swing and give a push. She insisted today that I push "més fort," and she entertained me with several songs, with renditions in Catalan, Spanish, and French. In return, I taught her "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in English. She got it, but it was tough to remember the words, and she lapsed back into "estrellita" most of the time. Indeed, little girls *are* estrellitas, especially this one, who we sometimes think could head straight to Hollywood, once she has dominated "Twinkle, Twinkle" and the rest of the English language.

The dynamics between a center-of-attention girl and her new little sister are interesting to observe; when I was holding Seyna, Sora immediately ran to get her own pacifier and tried to get my attention by pouting, two-year-old style. But I have a feeling once Seyna gets a bit bigger, Sora is going to love showing her the ropes. And I mean that literally: the bucket-seat gronxador is a rope swing, and it's just estrellita size.