Really?

I knew that Lulu might cause a few stares -- partly because she is the cutest/wildest thing ever, but also because she looks so different than the rest of us. And while I hate being looked at, I totally understand. I think adding Perrin in to the mix makes it even more confusing (are they both adopted? different fathers? is she from another family? if they can have biological kids, why would they adopt?). But, I have been surprised by some of the questions people ask.

"Does she look like her father?". "Can I assume she is adopted?". "So where is this cutie from?".  I don't mind any of these questions and kind of find them funny as I know what they are asking and appreciate the attempt to be polite.

But last weekend we had our first truly annoying experience. We were at a car dealership beginning the process of finding a new car. I hate buying cars, so I was already in a foul mood. First there was the saleswoman trying to emphasize the small third row in a competitors car.  "The third row is so small you can only put children or Chinese people back there!" she squealed. I let her know that I have both -- and furthermore my Chinese child could take out her dumb Caucasian toddler. Later that day I brought Lulu in to test drive a few cars -- and perhaps cause a little chaos in the showroom. As I walked through the door carrying my little bundle of joy, a salesman stopped me in my path and said, "Is that your daughter?" After I replied yes, he leaned in for a closer look and said, "Really?".  It would have been an appropriate time for Lulu to reach out and pull his hair or pinch his nose, but she just sat there and smiled. Maybe she saves the pain for those she loves, or maybe she just pitied the man. I was too speechless to react and just stammered, "uh..yeah".

Thankfully the majority of people are lovely and accepting. And, I have noticed that if Lulu is with me I can get away with all sorts of things. I can push to the front of  a ticket line, I can take 30 items through a 15 item express lane at the grocery store, I can even get away with lots of crying in public places (both Lulu and I) without any dirty looks. I just hold Lulu up in front of me like a trophy and most people smile and give me a break. I even rolled down my back car window the other day to show the person that I had honked at a view of Lulu's cute face. Their frown turned upside down and we were all happy.  Next up is robbing a bank -- baby needs a new pair of shoes!