Peacemaker

K-bao put on her peacemaker hat recently in a dispute between the eldest and the youngest in the family.

Here's how it went down. C-bao had just finished her nap, and K-Pop had gone in to pick her up and change her. Now C-bao has been moody and finicky of late, and decided in the moment that she wanted her mum, and indeed, that she wouldn't quit crying and hollering until mum was found.

After several minutes of failed negotiations by K-Pop, K-Mum finally appeared and took the spoiled little tot into the study.

Predictably, C-bao immediately flipped over to her angelic Dr. Jekyl personality. When an exasperated and somewhat miffed K-Pop appeared a few minutes later in the study, she tried to reconcile using her patented Hi Tactic (namely, raising a hand to wave at K-Pop while calling out in exuberant tones "Hi! Hi!" to signal she was interested in peace and willing to let bygones be bygones).

K-Pop, who has also been moody and finicky of late, decided to ignore the olive branch. The Hi's continued, followed even by a couple of "Sorry! Sorry!s," so K-Pop finally turned to give the little one a stern talking to about her moodiness. He then stalked off moodily, leaving C-bao with a hurt expression on her face and calling out "Ba ba! Ba ba!"

That's when K-bao, who had been a bystander throughout this sequence, sprung into action. First, she hugged little C-bao and patted her head with a "That's OK, C-bao. Do you want me to go get Daddy?" Next she tracked down K-Pop in the living room and made the following appeal.

"Daddy, C-bao wants you!"
"I know, K-bao, I hear her."

"But Dad, she's little! Forgive her!"
...(Stunned pause)..."I have forgiven her, K-bao."

A few seconds later:
"But she doesn't feel loved!"

That did it. Guilted into action by the psychological insights of his 5 year old, K-Pop went back into the study and made peace with his little one.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Maturity

K-bao has definitely moved up in recent weeks on the Interactivity Scale. She's always had a bright, vigilant and even incisive look about her eyes, and we received more than a few comments from friends and strangers alike on the maturity of her expressions even a couple weeks in. However, we ultimately decided that she was hoodwinking everyone - i.e. she looked a lot smarter than she was.

Which of course raised the unsettling question of where she inherited that from.

Now, however, we have more evidence that the grey matter is building a bit. She whirls around in her little blue saucer like a little Tasmanian devil, flamboyantly punching at the various toys and built-in gadgets. She will look penetratingly at the person holding her or standing close by and howl like an angry baboon if she doesn't recognize the face. She always laughs at the Clown Dance. If K-Mum is singing a pleasing nursery rhyme to her, and she happens to be in a musical mood, she will whine and grouse loudly when the song is over until the next one begins. She is fascinated with her feet and tries to eat them whenever they appear in view.

As a result of this new brain activity, K-Pop and K-Mum have been aggressively and immaturely competing to have "ba-ba" or "mama" be the first intentional words coming out of the little one's mouth. The two grownups will literally hover over the poor kid and take turns shouting "ba-ba" and "mama" at her for long stretches. K-bao will look disinterestedly at us and stick her fist in her mouth, or occasionally favor us with a burp. This morning K-bao awoke from her nap and bellowed for attention. "She said 'ba-ba'" exclaimed K-Pop, running to her room. "No she didn't!" insists K-Mum, jumping up from the couch and elbowing daddy aside at the doorway. K-bao looked at us disgustedly as we leaned over her crib. You two featherbrains!