Punch Drunk & Other Christmas Stories

Dear Sonia,

Someone gave you a couple of bites of cookie on Christmas or the day after (they all blended together after a while) and you were running like a crazy-person. You would run across the room, then back into a wall with your hands out and then crack up laughing. I told you you were "punch drunk" and you repeated it. So cute! I told you to go tell Mommy that you were punch drunk. You ran over to her a million miles an hour and announced "Punch Drunk!" She couldn't understand you and asked you to say it again. You did, laughing the whole time. Finally I told Mommy what you were saying and she cracked up too as you ran away back over to me. I don't quite get why you understood the joke at only 20 months old, but you sure seemed to. Here's a cute picture from an email your Mom sent me that is a little girl who seems to be a little punch drunk!



You understand things like "this" versus "that". When we ask you where Nana/Papa and Auntie Karen live, you say "Massachusetts!" clear as day. When we ask you where you live, you say "Houston, Texas" in the cutest little way. You know what the baby of tons of animals are called. "What is a baby goat, Sonia?" "Kid!" You run and climb and jump and you almost got killed on a slide with me! Your mom was going to the bathroom and you went right over to this slide and started to climb, and since I'd seen you on the big slide over Tgiving, I figured you knew what you were doing. I followed you up and realized it was a crazy slide where the person sliding is meant to straddle the plastic thing instead of sit on or in it. So I straddled it with you on my lap. Half way down, your leg got caught under mine and you started to scream. You had two big bruise/scrapes but no broken leg, which was a huge blessing. Your Mommy would've been very mad at Auntie Karen if she'd broken a part of you.

We went to the zoo and you saw a pelican, which I had taught you a couple days earlier. There was one in your new book, and I told you that pelicans scoop fish from the water with their big beaks. Each time I asked you about the pelican, you made a little scoop with your hand and said "scoop!" and then "pelican!" Once I asked you in reverse with the book not even out "Sonia, what kind of bird scoops up fish?" and you said "pelican!" Very smart.

You fell in love with that book that you got on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, sitting in my lap opening a million presents, you kept saying book, book, book and we had to bribe you to open a gift by promising we'd read some of the book. Very nice, my literary niece.

You are doing pee pee on the potty pretty regularly, which is pretty great. For some reason, you've suddenly become a little obsessed with poop. After your nap, I asked how your nap was and you reported "Poop!" because you'd done one while sleeping. That was the report every time after that, whether you'd done a poop or not.

On Christmas, I snuck off to have a little nap upstairs. Soon, a knock came at the door and it was your Nana, showing you where I was. You were apparently wanting to know where Auntie Karen went. They told you I was taking a nap, but this was not enough. Then you left. Shortly afterwards, you came back with your mom and the same book and were deposited with me to read and hang out. You were asking for me so much that finally Mom just gave up and brought you to me.

When I left, I gave you a hug and a kiss and a nose kiss and told you that I was going on the airplane back to Massachusetts. The next morning, you got up and reported to everyone "Auntie Karen Massachusetts". Not only smart, but emotionally mature. No reason to get all upset. I went home, and you'll see me again soon.

Girly, I have to tell you, I love you very much. Every time I call you Sonia-ita, you giggle. When we ask you who Nana loves, instead of answering "Sonia" as expected, you say "Papa". You came up with that all on your own. You obey commands so well and even when you don't want to do what Mommy is asking you to, you usually respond pretty quickly when she repeats the request or uses a stronger tone with you. I was putting your coat on at one point and you were annoyed with how I was pulling the arm - you made a noise and squirmed, trying to get away. I only had to say "I know it's frustrating. Just hold on a minute and Auntie Karen will fix it" and you stopped for me. Very reasonable.

Thank you for hosting me for Christmas. Thank you for singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with me - you can fill in words as we go along - pretty great. Thank you for climbing into my lap repeatedly. Thank you for coming to me whenever I put my arms down to pick you up. Thanks for cooking with Nana and Mommy and I - you are already a great stirrer!

I'm not sure when I'll see you again, maybe not until April for your birthday. I can't imagine how much you'll've changed by then. At this point, you are growing and changing literally every day.

Love you so much, 'Ita!

Auntie K