learning our letters

over the course of the last week or so, Reza has taken to bringing me her large wooden alphabet puzzle, dumping the pieces out on the cushions of the couch, handing me the empty board and asking:

"daddy, what letter sounds puh puh puh?"

"daddy, what letter sounds buh buh buh?"

she'll bring a letter and she'll ask the question. we'll say it together. she'll smile and place the wrong letter in the right spot. as we correct each other - it's always a 'together' thing - she's on her way to the next letter and the process starts all over again.

"daddy, what letter sounds zzz zzz zzz?"

"daddy, what letter sounds ruh ruh ruh?"

i got home from work a bit late tonight, so i was catching up on the day with ivonne. she comes up to me and says, "daddy, time to do letters?"

"let me finish talking to mommy and we'll do your letters, ok?"

she starts to stalk off to her room and grins. two minutes later here she comes. first letters on the couch, then the empty board to me.

she looks at the first empty slot, next to a picture of an alligator and an apple. i can see her brain working and it's fucking amazing. "Daddy, what letter sounds ah ah ah?"

"i don't know love, what letter sounds ah ah ah?"

all i hear are wooden blocks clinking together from behind the arm of the sofa when she raises her prize like the olympic torch. "the letter A!"

"good job!" ivonne and i look at each other like, ok, what the hell?

as she's placing the A in the slot, i watch her eyes move to the right where she sees the bear with the ball.

"daddy, what letter sounds buh buh buh?"

"i don't know love, what letter sounds buh buh buh?"

beeline back to the sofa for "the letter B!"

my smile is as wide as the cheshire cat. "good job!"

ivonne, incredulous, doesn't want to spoil the moment, but can't help silently mouth the words 'you've gotta be kidding me...'

Reza cocks her head, looks at the empty C, looks at the pictures next to it then looks back to me. "daddy, what letter sounds Mooooooo?"

we laughed and laughed.