Joy and Sadness

Today was a day just like any other . . . after breakfast and coffee and some fun family silliness, daddy went into the office, mommy began reading emails and generally catching up on computer stuff, Rachel played "fly the airplane" on our bed nearby. Simple life, simple fun . . .

And then . . .

A knock at the door and Rachel opens it. It's Hu Ayi (our helper/language tutor (as she speaks no English whatsoever!) /Rachel's caregiver/friend) here at her regular Friday time to help out and play with Rachel.

Then it happened . . .

Hu Ayi saw a plane ticket on the coffee table and picked it up. I faintly hear from the bedroom this precious little voice say "ba ba de xing xi liu de fei ji" and a happy repeating / clarifying of this from Hu Ayi. . .

And it happened again . . .

I hear this precious little voice giggle in proud excitement and then say "ma ma gun wo xing xi tian de fei ji"

By this time it is finally registering with me that my sweet little stinker of a daughter is totally telling her Ayi that daddy is going on a plane on Saturday and she and mommy are going on a plane on Sunday! When I get to her she grins this great big, "surprised aren't you mommy?" grin and precedes to ask me ( in English, mind you, because her little three-year-old mind knows that mommy may or may not be able to understand if she asks in Chinese) what the name of the city is that daddy is going to. I respond in my perfect English and she immediately turns to Ayi and translates this information in her "oh-so-perfect" Chinese....and when Ayi asks where she and mommy are going on Sunday, she also responds in that cute little perfect Chinese "qu kan yi kan Tian jin de peng yo" (which I totally understood by the way) . . . "we are going to see our friends in Tian jin" however, just to set the record straight, she should have only used "kan" not "kan yi kan" . . .

So, HA! I still have a little edge on her!! But boy oh boy does it ever sound more fluid and natural coming from her mouth rather than mine!!!

And there you have it . . . the day has arrived . . . the exciting yet sad day. Exciting because she has begun to embrace the language and it is becoming second nature to her. Sad because the day is soon coming when daughter will become teacher, mommy her student. I knew parenting would humble me . . . but in so many ways?

Why is it at times like these I feel this exasperating urge to apologize to my parents?!?