Our Neighborhood Celebrity

Keira is the new neighborhood celebrity.

We have to allow extra time when we go somewhere to accomodate all the people that stop us to marvel at our baby...and to offer us advice (which Taiwanese grandmas love to do).

The top ten comments we hear:

10. Is that your baby?  But you're too young to be parents!

9. She's too hot!  Take off her sweater.

8. She's too cold!  She needs a winter coat.  (The temperature in Taipei has yet to drop below 60).

7. That sling isn't good for her spine; better carry her in your arms.  

6. Are you sure she's only two months old?

5. She looks just like her daddy.

4. She has such a tall nose!

3. Wow...her eyes are so big...and they're blue!

2. She looks like a doll.

1. She's so cute!  她好可愛！

When I was pregnant I wrote about how that opened doors to new relationships, and now that Keira's here that trend has continued.  We try to go visit her Taiwanese "aunties" every day (a few of our market vendor friends down the street).  First we practice Chinese with the sweet "umbrella lady," and then we pop into the adjacent bedsheet store to visit Waverly (who speaks English--hooray!)  Sometimes we eat an afternoon snack there and help her daughter finish her English homework.

Keira and Chang-uh Ai-yi (whom we affectionately call "The Umbrella Lady")

One great thing about living in a big city is that you don't have to walk far to find friends.  I'm especially thankful for this now that I'm the stay-at-home-mom of our little celebrity.