ginus

This is a word that may be unfamiliar to most people, but not in the Heinricy household. Keira has discovered that she does not look like her brothers as they shower, run around the house naked, or when a diaper gets changed. She has asked me so many times, "What that called?" and I would respond with, "It's a penis," and think nothing about it. Then the day came when she looked down and said that she had a penis. I have told her that she does not have one and shared with her what she has instead. It really bothers her that she doesn't, it's like she has been left out. Often she will say that she does have a penis and tell me everyone else who has one too.
One morning we were cuddling and she popped up and said, "Mommy, I want a penis!" She has been obsessing about it just enough to make you feel slightly uncomfortable. She wants a PENIS! I have tried telling her that she is just like Mommy and her Auntie and her friends and how special it is to be a girl but it hasn't seemed to work!

Recently after her little discovery, and mommy's wonderful explanation about the differences between boys and girls, we had a memorable dinner. Out of nowhere Keira yells out in her kermit the frog voice (unbeknownst to her) da-gine-us! Now she thinks it is hilarious and she says it all the time. She giggles, as if she knows it is an inappropriate word. Why did I ever tell her the name? I wasn't prepared to respond to her with another word for it when she had asked the first time. I am going to have to think of something else very soon! Even Kaden has been correcting Keira when she says she has a penis. He tells her, "No, Keira, you have a gine-us!!!