A Small Language Mishap :)

Today, my sister, Leah, came over to see Jiliang. Leah has stayed away for over a week, because she has had a cold and didn't want Jiliang to get it. Jiliang has only seen my sister at my parent's house; therefore, she had to warm up to Leah again. When I was in China, I called my sister a lot, so Jiliang knew her voice right away, and she can say "Leah" very well.
She seemed very comfortable with my sister, until I re-introduced them. I said, "My Mei-Mei" which means "little sister" in Chinese. After that, she got really shy. She went in her room and colored and did puzzles. Leah played with her too. Then, we started to eat some lunch. Leah on I checked on her a few times, but then I dedided to see why she was feeling so isolated in her play, but it wasn't like her to play alone for so long. She seemed sad and would not look at Leah. She ate, but only when I fed her.
Then, I tried the introduction again. I said, "Leah is Mama's Mei-Mei. Mama is Jei-Jei." Jei-Jei means big sister in Chinese. Then, I pointed to myself, saying, "Jei-Jei" and Leah pointed to herself saying, "Mei Mei".
She GOT IT! Talk about a complete 180! She started to be herself again. She thought I was replacing her or adding a new sister to the mix. I had to laugh. Do I look that old? Leah is 5 1/2 years younger than me.
Sometimes I call Jiliang my Mei-Mei, which is technically incorrect, and apparently it worked against me today.