If you don't like my kid's name, shouldn't you still mind your manners?

This happened at a kid's party not too long ago. Most of the party was outside, with lots of pool play, but when it started to rain, the kids moved inside. At one point, I went in to check on Chakisae. I found her with lots of other kids and two moms. I did not know these two women.

The moms were trying to figure Chakisae's name. Which granted is unusual, and she often complicates things by telling anyone who asks her full name -- all four names, that is.

Anyway, just as I walked in, they were asking her name again.

Mom #1 said: You'll probably be 12 before I could pronounce that.

I said: It's cha-key-say. We say key-say a lot.

Mom#2 said: I was going to say Chaquita or ...(laughed).

Just at that moment, there was a call for cake or presents so everyone got up and the conversation ended as the kids headed outside. But I spent the rest of the party with the incident sort of nagging at me.

I think those women were rude, most especially to Kisae.

But I think the thing that bothered me (though perhaps this is silly) is that they both have kids who are adopted. I thought they might be more sensitive or get it (for what it's worth, their daughters are from China and all have western names). But no.

I'm sorry. If you don't like my kid's name, shouldn't you just do what mom used to say, you know, not say anything, if you can't think of anything nice to say?

I do get a fair number of questions about her name, and that's fine. I usually explain that it is her Ethiopian name (not something I made up, though, hey people can make up names, if they want!) and was chosen by her great-grandmother.

With these women, I just wanted to shout: "Hey, her name means 'light' and it was chosen by her blind great-grandmother. I met her. She told me she thought this baby would 'be her light and shine' and that she knew that 'wherever she went God's light would shine on her.' You try changing the name after that. Just try it."

But really, why should I have to do all that. It's a beautiful name. It's her name. I love it. Maybe I'm just a too sensitive?

A shout in the morning

I woke up this morning because Kisae was shouting from her bed, "I hungry!"

Ben was yelling back from the Florida room, "You have to get up first, Kisae."

He did have a point. I mean there isn't really room service in our house.

I got up and went to her room. She seemed perfectly content (though just hungry, I guess).

My bad mom confession: I was so tired that I took her potty, put bowls and boxes of cereal on the counter and told them they could watch TV.

Then I went back to sleep.

My funny kids

Kisae loves to sing. She sings the usual preschool fare -- you know twinkle, twinkle and ABC's -- but also her own songs. Those are the best. She holds her hand to her mouth (pretends its a microphone), tells us no talking and starts in with her performance. She sings about funny things, sweet things ("I love my brother") and random things ("I take off my shoe. Ant bite me.") Last week, we were outside, enjoying the evening when she started a new song...."Our house so dirty, our house so dirty...."

So there it is -- my house is such a mess that even the 3-year-old knows it and feels compelled to express it in song.

And then there's Ben. He told us the other night he wanted to learn to knit. I had to bite my lip not to laugh. Not that there's anything wrong with knitting. It's just he is not a crafty kid. He is a sporty kid (you know, the one who insists he should start ice hockey soon even though he doesn't know how to skate). He loves Godzilla. He keeps bugging us for a pocket knife. When he said he wanted to make the "exploding film canisters" he read about in a book, I wasn't fazed.

But knit? My kid? Hmm. But, okay, I said I'd look into it.
He said he wants to make Kisae a scarf. Well that's sweet, I thought. But then this popped in my head: Does he think those needles are weapons?

"Super baby to the rescue!"

So Chakisae is now the queen of the diving board at our local pool. Yeah, I know I'm biased (and I know I'm bragging), but she is truly amazing.

She climbs up there, puts her hand on her hip, looks around for audience reaction (the lifeguards and the other pool patrons often stop to watch - I think she likes that), counts to 3 or maybe 5, shouts "Super baby to the rescue!" and then leaps into the water.

Jim is there, but she swims to the side mostly by herself. She swims by herself all the time, going underwater, trying to reach the bottom (in the shallow end), jumping in and off the diving board.

I have rarely seen a 3-year-old so comfortable in the water -- and so fearless. She is our Super baby.