It was in the single digits Fahrenheit today, so we had zero interest in even leaving the building today. I spent the morning making pho ga (chicken pho), and in the afternoon after lunch, I took Kaia down to the play room for some change of scenery, as well as to hopefully interact with some other kids who would come. When we first arrived, no one was there. But eventually, four kids and their moms arrived, and then a dad and his young son, who happened to be just one month older than Kaia. We exchanged names and apartment numbers, and then Kaia and Georgie slowly sized each other up. They kept staring at each other from afar and gradually walked and crawled closer to each other. It was clear they wanted to interact, but they were just figuring out the best way to do this. The dad warned me that his son could get a little aggressive, so he kept warning Georgie to be nice and gentle. And then, out of nowhere, as Georgie reached his hand out for Kaia, he whacked her straight on her forehead.

And with that, my Kaia Pookie started wailing and crying, burying her head into my chest and refused to look up.

The dad immediately freaked out, apologized, and thought I was going to get mad, but how could I? I just laughed it off. They’re just babies, I said to him. Don’t worry about it! They don’t know what they’re doing, and the boy is likely just testing his boundaries. After a quick cry and some cuddles, I placed Kaia on the mat next to Georgie, and they eventually started handing toys to each other and playing with trucks together. And it was really sweet to watch them interact, especially after that slightly rough start.

Honestly, though, I really wish Kaia had whacked him back and shown him who’s boss. I can’t have my baby getting picked on when I am not there…