Toddlerhood Begins

So many of the bloggers out there have fun code names for their kids, an idea I have been meaning to steal since I started my own blog. It just seems more comfortable than putting your kids' names out there, not really because I think some crazy person will find my daughter just by her first name (God forbid), but more because it preserves her privacy a little. Anyway, my creative powers being somewhat lacking, the ideal code name has been eluding me, and all of the nicknames we actually call her are just too cutesy to admit in semi-public. This weekend, my husband and I were joking that it was time for DD's "Second Breakfast" (she eats what seems like a hundred small meals a day), so in lieu of something more clever, she shall henceforth be referred to as "the Hobbit."
On to MUCH more important things, the Hobbit took her first steps yesterday!!!!! I missed the very first ones -- it happened at day care. When we picked her up, they told us that she had taken 3 steps. Our first reaction, of course, was to plunk the poor child down on the floor and try to make her perform the feat again. And she actually did it! She walked another 2 steps into my arms, and she did it a few more times when we got home. Holy smokes, was she proud of herself! Even before she showed us she could do it, she was beaming a thousand-watt smile. The Hobbit is always happy to see us at the end of the day, but never quite THAT excited.
The walking is not the only sign that my baby is becoming an official toddler. She has developed some very strong opinions, and she is decidedly not shy about expressing them. Her lung capacity and vocal chords are in fine working order, I'm thrilled to report. Sigh. I know it's a good thing for her to learn to think for herself and to try new things -- I'd never want to hold her back from either of those endeavors. I'm just nervous about striking the necessary balance. How do I encourage her to branch out, while also encouraging her to drink her milk and keep her seatbelt fastened?