Phone calls with Piper are always hysterical.
Just now, I could hear Piper in the background saying, “Mama, I want to talk to Tee Tee.”
“Do you know what you’re going to say to her?”
“Yeeah.”
“Okay. Here you go.”
Rustling and murmurs as the phone changes hands. Then the giggling starts. Before the hello. Always before the hello.
“Heheeheehehehheheeheeheee ….. HI, TEE TEE!”
“Hi, Pipey! What’s up?”
She says:
“Uhhhhhmmmm …… heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee …..”
And I say:
“Heeheeheeeheeeheeheeeheee ….”
Then together we say:
“Heeheeheheeheheheheeeeheeheeheeheeheheheheeeeeheeeeee ….”
I love this conversation, frankly. I could do JUST this on the phone with her and be perfectly content. We teehee together for probably a good minute, not saying anything, just a couple of giggling girls giving in to being 5. Finally, though, I decide to try a knock-knock joke. Now, honestly, my memory for knock-knock jokes has long since faded. But no matter. She LOVES knock-knock jokes and, plus, she will laugh NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY. Especially if it’s about bananas. Bananas are naturally funny, you see. Just the very WORD is hilarious to her.
“Knock knock,” I say.
“Heeheehee ….. who’s dere?”
“Banana.”
“Banana who? Heheheehee.”
Hm. Did I mention I don’t really remember any knock-knock jokes? And if I don’t remember the jokes, then it follows that I certainly don’t remember the punchlines? But she, of course, doesn’t know that. So I just say whatever pops into my head, with great enthusiasm and complete abandon.
“Banana ….. ALL OVER YOUR FACE!!!”
“HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEEHEEE!!!!!”
She is literally gasping for breath, hiccupping with giggles, at the blatant hilarity of what I’ve said. Finally, she gasps:
“Tee Tee, why did the banana jump off the truck?” Hiccup. Gasp.
“I dunno. Why?”
“Because ….. heheeheeheheehehe …. IT WANTED TO BE FLAT!!!”
(Does this joke have something to do with banana splits, maybe? No matter — her version is beyond hysterical to both of us. We surrender our souls to the utter silliness of it all.)
Then, she announces, between our shrieks of laughter:
“Tee Tee, I hab some berry good news for you!!””
“Really? What’s that?!”
“I’VE LOOSED 3 TOOFS!!”
“WOW!! REALLY??”
“Yeeahh!”
“THAT IS SO GREAT! Did the Tooth Fairy bring you something?”
“Yeeahh!! Do you know what it was, Tee Tee?”
“No! What?!”
“Two silber coins, Tee Tee!”
Oh! How I love that she is 5 and that she doesn’t know the difference and that the simple fact of having “two silber coins” is beyond exciting to her.
“WOWWWW!!!”
“YEEAHH! But may I tell you someping ells? I have some more berry good news for you!!”
“More??”
“YEEAH. I hab 4 fish now!”
“Really? What are their names?”
“Their names are Sophia and Tinkybell and Anina and Star. Star is a catfish, Tee Tee!!”
“WOWW!! Those are great names, Peeps!!”
“Yeeah.”
She grows quiet, then says, simply:
“I love you, Tee Tee! Bye!”
I love you, too, kid.
I love Piper so much! Please keep these stories coming.
Sweetness. She’s got PLENTY of sugar in her.
Kids make it all better.
The first time my little golden-curled niece ran to me, squealing in delight, “AUNTIE!”
Yeah. Wow.
That “toof fairy” money is lucrative. My 6 (almost 7!) year old has racked up the funds from the fairy AND she gets extra money from her Mimi and Popa and Grandpa and Grandma.
My five-year-old has yet to lose any “teef,” but it’s coming.
What I love about the toof-losing time is that there’s both fear and excitement surrounding the whole experience. “I’m losing a tooth! Is it going to hurt? Am getting money?!?”
Kids are the coolest.
aw, don’t grow up pipey! we love you just like you are!
i love the whole “tee tee” thing. It is so so cute.
Time has got to STOP. It’s GOT to. That’s all I’m saying about that.
Cullen — You know what? It’s weird. She’s not the least bit scared of it, actually. She just so “escited”!
red — Yeah, the Tee Tee thing always gets me.
We’re matching the funds our granddaughter is earning bribed with to let her Mommy put in her eye drops. It’s her own little 401K.