Quick run to the market

The house is noisy and not just noisy but loud and noisy. This is my cue to go to expat friendly supermarket on the first floor of our apartment complex. I say “who wants to go to Jenny Lou’s” and Lydia and Elisa respond affirmative. Lydia in her whiny “me, i go” and Elisa in her life affirming “hao ba”. So I wait for Lydia to put on some warmer closes as it has snowed earlier in the day. When Lydia’s done I scan the living room for Elisa but can’t find her so I call out. “Elisa, Elisa”. I here Elisa sounds and walk into the kids room. No Elisa. I turn, my eyes see into the bathroom. Into our standup shower. Down to the small pastic bathtub we use to bathe Elisa. Elisa sitting in the tub, turns and smiles at me. The tub is fill of water and Elisa is fully clothed.

So I ended up not taking Elisa that day. Two days before I also escaped the house and on that day I took Elisa but Lydia did not want to come. Seems Tom and Jerry was on TV. So instead of going, Lydia told me she wanted me to buy something.  Cheese, she says. What kind of cheese, I say. Cheese in the middle, black on the outside. I’m starting to get the picture. “Cheese?”, I question. Lydia then tells me the name in Chinese. 奥利奥. In pinyin, that’s Ào lì ào. If you try to pronounce it sounds a whole lot like Oreo and indeed that was the cheese Lydia wanted. So me and Elisa buy Lydia some Oreo Cookies with “cheese” in the middle. On our way back from Jenny Lou’s Elisa and I stopped at starbucks and I got a cup of decaf. I could see Elisa looking at the starbuck snacks so I picked her up so she could get a better look. Elisa is after all quite short being 19 months old and all. She pointed at the exact snack she wanted. A chocolate cupcake with an extra layer of chocolate frosting.  I guess because she does not know how to say cheese in english yet.