When I decided to write an illustrated narrative for each of my children in my blog, I knew that Andrea’s would come last. If it were up to her, she’d rather avoid any mention at all. She's so averse to being in the spotlight! But she has no choice in this, so here goes...
As characteristic of most middle children, Andrea was my fuss-free baby from the day she was born. She came into the world a week later than we expected, underweight and fragile-looking (Andrea weighed less than 5 ½ lbs at birth). Despite being full-term baby, she looked like a premie. I could see her tailbone sticking out when I changed her diapers. It made me almost afraid to touch her. But Andrea was much hardier than she appeared and seldom got sick. She was a night owl even then, cooing and babbling away in her bassinet next to my bedside during the wee hours, making me wonder whether I should just get up and feed her. During the day, she mostly kept to herself, if that could be said of a baby! At the time, her older sister, Audrey, was a full-on precocious, talkative, and attention-seeking toddler. Andrea, well… she was just happy being Audrey’s Little Sis! It didn’t bother her to witness Audrey taking up all the air in the room when they were together. But the girls definitely ganged up on their baby brother anytime they could.
Andrea in a redeeming pose with Kiet
Audrey and Andrea at fifteen and thirteen, respectively
Despite appearances to the contrary, Andrea has a mentoring relationship with Kiet and a special connection with her younger male cousins, who adore her. She naturally relates to them the same way guys relate to one another. When together, they would play video games, watch action movies, and rough-house unabashedly.
Masked bandits
Relaxing on Dad's couch with Kiet in the background
Unlike her sisters, Andrea abhors fashion and make-up. Audrey and Lauren would dress up for school with the same care a model reserves for selecting her runway outfits. Andrea wears the same non-logo T-shirts (in black, gray, or dark blue), paired with generic skinny jeans, season after season. It’s beyond frustrating trying to convince her to shop for clothes.
Andrea’s everyday look
Getting ready for her middle-school graduation dance… one of the rare occasions where I could make her put on a dress!
Little Miss Graduate
My pet name for Andrea is “Mom’s Little Sloth.” It was inspired by her appearing slow and deliberate in her movements and seemingly unenthusiastic and nonchalant about the hubbub that is our family's normal schedule. But don’t be fooled… Andrea is actually an intense observer who doesn’t miss a single thing. She is keenly focused without appearing to be so.
In a bemused mood (as expressive as she’d ever be!)
None of my kids is naturally studious, but Andrea has the most lax study habits out of all of them. I had to constantly remind her to complete her school projects and homework all the way up until the sixth grade. But once she was on her own, Andrea got steady on her feet very quickly. That was true of everything she did. She had one grade shy of straight A’s every quarter for the entire duration of middle school (her single B+ at the end of the eighth grade resulted from her opting to take an especially challenging elective, Science Olympiad, instead of a regular science class).
In high school, Andrea applied for, and got accepted, to a special program that allowed her to complete two years of college credits concurrently with her high school requirements. In the middle of this, she still found time to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters two afternoons a week.
Andrea at a Beckman award ceremony
Andrea is typically modest about her accomplishments. When she disclosed the fact that her PSAT score was higher than Audrey’s, she prefaced the news with, “Now Mom, don’t get all excited about it…”
She's similarly understated about her needs and wants. I’ve learned that when Andrea asked for something, she had most likely contemplated the request in her mind for a long time. But she would phrase her request in the most casual and non-demanding manner. If you didn’t listen carefully, you would not have known it’s something she really wanted.
When we bought our current home one and a half years ago, I promised my children they would get to choose their own bedroom furnishings. Andrea placed her special order for a loft bed sitting atop a computer work station – a simple stained wood design from the Pottery Barn Teen catalog that looked like it belonged in a teenage boy’s room. She patiently waited three months for it to arrive.
Soon afterwards, she erected a door sign outside her fortress: “Do Not Disturb! Bi is watching a movie on the computer.” (Bi is Andrea’s nickname).
And that’s what she does everyday after school. I can only lure Andrea out of her bat cave for dinner, or for her favorite snack... banh dau xanh (mung bean cakes) accompanied by jasmine tea.
I like to embarrass Andrea by reminding her about her clinginess a few summers ago, when she was entirely dependent on me and refused to let me leave her side for even a minute. But that's the subject of another post!
For now, Andrea just tries to maintain her privacy and sense of humor intact as best she could with a mom who likes to overshare. :)
2 comments:
Clinginess? Count yourself lucky. Just another year or tow and mom has to fly a few thousand miles to see her.
I guess I'm in for a rude awakening. I've always assumed that when a child leaves for college, he/she will fly back to visit the family. Since my oldest is still at home, I'm a little self-centered that way!
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