I somehow managed to keep a straight face

I posted this in a “mad chatters” Tweet already, but I wanted to write about it anyway.

Since Mei-mei has started eating solids, Z hovers around in hopes of getting a bite or two of her pureed sweet potatoes (I’ve started making twice as much so that Z gets to finish off what she doesn’t eat).  He’s also in a sharing phase, so he keeps trying to trade some of his food for hers.  I tell him, “Mei-mei can’t eat your food yet.  She’s very small right now.  She doesn’t have any teeth, so she can’t chew like you do. But she’ll grow all of her teeth as she gets bigger.”  And now that she has one tooth, I show it to him and say, “See, Mei-mei’s starting to grow her teeth!  Soon she’ll be able to eat the same foods you eat.”

Today, Z was watching as I changed Mei-mei’s diaper.  He asked, “Where’s Mei-mei’s penis?”  I said, “Mei-mei doesn’t have a penis, honey.  She’s a girl and girls don’t have penises.  Only boys have penises.”  Apparently he didn’t hear the second part of my explanation, because he said, “Mei-mei no have penis now.  Mei-mei too small.  Mei-mei grow teeth, grow penis.”  He said it in the sing-song way he uses when he recites a list of things, “Mei-mei grow teeeeeeeeeeth….grow peniiiiiiiiiis….”