Pigtails on Tuesdays

Dear Sonia,

I feel it is my Auntie responsibility to record here your continued brilliance. I partly think this so you can someday put this link on your resume as evidence that you were a genius from the get-go and partly think this because eventually, like your Auntie K, you might just turn out more normal than gifted and you'll want to look back on early evidence that you really were special once upon a time. Either way, you must know this story in case we all forget it and you end up never hearing it, which would just be a travesty.

You go to gym class on Tuesdays. Sometimes you go with Mommy and sometimes you go with Tiffany. You like it and are pretty good at it. Over Easter, while your Uncle S and Auntie K were doing burpees in Nana & Papa's back yard, you showed us your forward roll (which you talk yourself through - head down, tuck, roll) which was perfect. Then you did some kicking with your legs while your hands were anchored on the ground and you did some sideways jumping as well. All very coordinated, especially considering the itty-bittiness of your legs!

You must also know that at this point in your little life, you have never had a haircut. You are two and your hair is very long. You complain sometimes that it gets caught in your armpits. Your mom is supposed to get you a haircut sometime soon. This is relevant information for this story. You are perpetually brushing your hair back from your face with the backs of your hands.

So, last week, you were at gym class with Tiffany. Your mom had put your hair in a barrette, half up. You know, clipped in the back, but the rest still hanging down. It was all in your way and getting in your face and everywhere as you successfully did your forward rolls or whatever other wonderfulness you were doing at gym class.

All of a sudden, you walked up to Tiffany and you said "Need pigtails on Tuesday!" Seriously. That's what you said. Your mom even questioned Tiffany when she received this report, making certain that Tiffany actually understood what you said. Tiffany swears. You demanded pigtails on Tuesdays.

Now, this takes serious forethought. You didn't just ask for a pony right then and there to solve your problem. You actually saw into the future, realized that gym class would continue to be on Tuesdays, and deducted that pigtails EVERY Tuesday ought to do the trick. Second, I figure that you were really thinking, "You adult morons. What the heck? How is it that you need me to tell you that I need pigtails on gym class days? And since even I know that is on Tuesdays, shouldn't you? So how about I'll point it out for you?"

And so, I'm pretty sure that nobody will make that mistake again. You took your destiny into your own hands, spoke up for yourself, and solved a problem. This, my young love, is a skill you should take with you into the rest of your life. It will serve you well.

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More brilliance:

Mommy took you yesterday to the mall with the Merry-Go-Round in it. You rode on a tiger and on a seahorse, which apparently is very big and high up. You were happy to report to me over the phone on this successful trip. Also, at this mall, there was, in the family bathroom, a itty-bitty porcelain toilet just for you. And since you're on your second day of diaperlessness, you were very excited about this.

At the carousel, you said, "Go to the play structure too." There's some big playground thing at this mall too. Not that you could see. You just remembered you'd been there one other time. ONE. And you used the word "play structure." And so you went.

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Why your mom will rue the day:

When you got home from the mall and the tiger and seahorse and play structure, you were barefoot and walking along minding your own business in the living room. And all of a sudden, you started screaming and shaking your foot and screaming more. Your mom asked you what the heck was the matter with you and you just cried and screamed and she looked and you had stepped in a pile of CAT PUKE! And it was all over both your feet. At this point, your mom started laughing hysterically, which she does whenever someone is hurt or something gross happens to someone. You were still screaming and crying and eventually you started laughing too.

Your mom called to tell me this story and she was laughing so hard I couldn't understand anything she said. I told her I was hanging up. She said "Okay, okay. I'll calm down and tell you," and then she proceeded to start laughing so hard again that I finally told her she was annoying. She had to TEXT me the story because she was laughing so hard.

I called her back and told her that if she's not careful, all her children will talk about her when you are older about how evil it was that she laughed at you all the time when you were hurt or covered in cat puke. She just laughed more. Call me when you need to check in on this. I'll confirm it's true. She's done it her whole life.

Side note: She went looking for the cat puke to clean it up, and she couldn't even find where it had been on the carpet. Apparently your feet picked it all up and left not a trace! Now that I'll laugh at!

I love you, 'ita.

Auntie K