Still going strong at 11:38 p.m.

Are you?

P is at work now, because he needed pliers. I told him to leave the toy for Dia de Reyes, but P said "NO, she NEEDS it tomorrow." Really? I thought SS needed lots of love, guidance, structure, consistency, food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Auntie C, you failed me big time during SW training, as I had no idea that a toy is a need. In P's defense, it is Grandpa's gift, and P knows Grandpa would want her to have it tomorrow.

P tackled one of Nana and Grand Min's gifts first. I kept SS upstairs so she would not see Baba assembling her gift. It appears that had SS been downstairs, she would have learned a lot of colorful language. P said it's the most difficult and annoying thing he has ever assembled. Since P was a C-section birth, I'm sure Nana thought it was the most difficult and annoying thing she had done at the time. Karma might take its time, but it does get back each and every time.

Our big gift for SS was not as difficult to assemble as it initially appeared. Then again, I did not lift a finger, P did all the work. Wait, I take that back, I took pictures. We hope it is a hit, because SS was madly in love (or want) with it.

We celebrate an anniversary on Christmas Eve. Significant only to P and I, but a big deal to us. No matter what, we have always made time on the actual date. It was easy to do something alone pre SS, but do not see it happening for a long time. I even thought of a late dinner and champagne. Yeah right, take a look at the picture above.

This is going to make people cringe, please do not shoot the messenger. Apropos of the previous paragraph, P has a nickname (one of oh so many) for SS. Here it goes... coitus interruptus. P actually asked me to post about it. It looks like this letter to SS is going to be one she won't be able to read until she is an adult. I can't wait for SS to repeat Baba's words to her classmates. I am an admitted coward and will provide the irate parents with printed business cards with P's contact information.

The gifts from the Abus are reserved for Dia de Reyes. I am aware of how lousy I am at passing on Puerto Rican traditions to my children. That is why the PR Club head honchos revoked my "she tans easily" privilege. However, DdR is no longer about PR traditions, but our family tradition. JJ has been lobbying for years to add Hanukkah to our celebrations. In a few years he's going to have a lobbying partner.

I just sneezed and received a loud "SALUD" from SS. She honed her "salud" delivery during JJ's visit. She's been doing it for a while, because I remember Abu cracking up about it when she was here last time. But right now SS has her delivery down, and enjoys the heck out of people sneezing so she can wish them "health." We are so going to have one confused daughter.