When Opposites Attract

If you think my daughter is a gu niang, soft, gentle girl, you’re gonna be disappointed. Sometimes I think this “unfeminine-ness” of her also contributes to her being mistaken as a boy. Just today, we walked into Diva (the accessories shop) and I was looking for some hair bands for her. The sales assistant asked me if my daughter is a girl. A number of times I’ve had to say, “Err she’s a girl,” and awkwardly add that “yes I know she looks like a boy” so that the other party will not feel so awkward. The irony.

It was play-date for the girls again, at my place. We decided to put both of them into the cage, aka playpen. Laura was really thrilled and tickled, and Didi was also happily playing with her. Until about 5 minutes later, we heard Didi say, “no mei mei, no. Go away,” and she tried to push Laura away. Apparently, my daughter adores Didi so much that she decided to make Didi her tree. She does that to both me and Sissie, but I didn’t expect her to be so… affectionate towards Didi. On the other end of the scale, Didi is gu niang, soft and gentle. Even when I tell her to shout, “yay!” it turns out to be a very conservative squeal. So we had to give about 2 time-outs and separate the girls. Didi likes Laura a lot, just that Didi prefers to be nice and gentle, while Laura gets all rough whenever she’s excited.

Despite the differences, they still love playing together. When Didi was told that they were going home, she was upset and started to sulk. And after they left, my daughter started getting cranky. Seesh!

Boy or Girl?

Being married with a kid at 22, I don’t have a lot of friends who are married with kid(s) too… well… maybe only 1. Sissie and I are as close as sisters, and we also live about a couple of bus stops away from each other. Though the age gap between her daughter and mine is 3 years, the girls get along quite well with each other. They are also similar is many ways, particularly the ways they drive both their mothers up the wall. Whenever we’re out together, we usually get 1 “agitated” kid acting up, and the other will follow like as if they’re playing some copycat game. Not. fun. at. all. Just today, our mere 1 hour trip to Giant felt like we had been out the entire day, though I’ve to say that Lauralynn was mostly the culprit. But it didn’t help that Didi reciprocated too. In the end, we just *tried* to ignore whatever was going on.

On the way home, I decided to sit at the back together with Didi. I love talking to Didi because she can sometimes say the weirdest of things, that are oh-so-innocently-cute.  She was telling Lauralynn to sit still as we were in a moving vehicle. So when I finally got my daughter seated on my lap, Didi said, “Good boy.”

Me: Good boy? No, mei mei is a girl.

Didi: No, mei mei is a boy.

Me: Why is mei mei a boy? Mei mei is a girl, just like you. You are a girl. Ah yi is a girl. Mommy is a girl. Mei mei is also a girl.

Didi: No, mei mei is a boy. I am a girl.

Me: Yes I know you’re a girl. Mei mei is also a girl.

So Sissie decided to help by emphasizing that mei mei is a girl, just like her, mommy and ah yi. She even tried by saying that “daddy is a boy.” However it didn’t sink into her head and she said, “nononononono.”

Lauralynn has always been mistaken as a boy, despite me trying to dress her up in as much pink as possible whenever we are out. It was really funny for Didi to think that mei mei was a boy, especially since she has been playing with her for months. I guess it never occurred to me on whether she knew that one of her favourite play mates was a GIRL.

Finally, when we got out of the car, I asked Didi again if mei mei was a boy or girl and she reluctantly said, “girl.” Heehee.

That’s the 2 of them. Looking at this pic of Lauralynn when she was about 6 months old, I can understand why Didi thinks mei mei is a boy.

Spring Cleaning 2010

It’s my first Chinese New Year in our own place, which means that there’s more to do than just tidying up my own room & clearing out my wardrobe. I’ve started buying stuff for CNY as early as last November, mostly for the house & my husband. Buying CNY clothes have been done online instead of dragging a stroller with a wriggly baby inside, squeezing with the crowd, followed by trying to fit both the stroller and I in the fitting room. All in the comfort of my own home.

Perhaps the most important Spring cleaning “ritual” for my mom would be tidy up the storeroom. Every year, without fail. After days of taking everything out and putting them back in after throwing away TONS of unwanted stuff, the storeroom would look much more organized and spacier… for more things to be put inside during the year. This year my mom claimed that she has thrown out so much stuff that now one would be able to walk right into the middle of the storeroom. (And why would I want to do that?)

For me, I’m quite determined not to inherit this ritual. Instead, I believe most of the spring cleaning this year would be to my wardrobe. I’ve had a few bags of clothes that followed me from my parents’ place, which have been packed away probably since more than a year ago. There are clothes I can’t fit into anymore (and I haven’t even worn them once!) as well as clothes that are not very apt for my age. It’s amazing, that clearing out all these clothes not only opened up space (for new clothes), but also was some sort of emotional therapy for me. I’ve sorted through emotions, decided which memories to keep and which memories to desert for good.

After spring cleaning my wardrobe, I feel like I’m a brand new person again, ready to face the world. I also need to start getting back into shape.

2010 Resolution

It’s been a busy week, trying to get routines back, getting work done in the house.

Chinese New Year is around the corner and although we’re not expecting many visitors (it’s our 1st CNY in our own place), I decided it’s time that I did some cleaning up, especially to my wardrobe. I’ve officially stopped breastfeeding, just in time for the tooth to pop out and avoid being bitten. She doesn’t seem as interested in milk as before, and stopped working hard to get milk. So I’ve had to pack all my nursing clothes aside until the next pregnancy. Old clothes will either have to be given or thrown away. (I’d rather give though)

Joined the girls at church for “ladies night”. It’s a females only fellowship and my 1st ever non-service meeting. I felt very comfortable and I like everyone. This is a great stepping stone for me to get to know the Lord and build a strong relationship with Him. This is a *very important* 2010 resolution, which I want to fulfill.

Okay, I’m tired. Good night!

The Tooth

With 1 day from being 8 months old, Lauralynn has finally popped a tooth. Her teething signs started at 4 months, and I tried to drag the introduction of solids to as much as 6 months. When she hit the 7 months mark, I was starting to get worried that she won’t even have teeth at all (it’s the paranoid-mummy syndrome).

So everyday I would put my pinkie finger into her mouth, and hopefully feel a tooth peeking out. But I always end up with nothing but a baby trying to chew my finger off with her tender gums. It came to the point where every single crankiness was a sign of teething and I’d check the next day, thinking her crankiness was because of irritated gums. Small opening of the mouth during mealtimes, eating & drinking milk slower than usual, clinging on to me the entire day & refusing to play alone, etc etc. Yep, every negative behavior I attributed it to “her tooth is coming out tomorrow!”

So “tomorrow” finally came.  I know it’s hard for most of you to understand why I got really excited about it for the rest of the day. But yes a tooth!

I came home and told my hubby that I had “good news” to share with him and his first thought was, “Are you pregnant?!”

Hur hur hur.

Now, I’m gonna get bitten.