on & off

the weekend came and left, as did my sister and adorable baby nephew, and coco's cold. i was not quite sure how coco was going to react to their visit, even though there was definitely some mental preparation going on before their arrival, which included a framed photograph of said nephew in coco's room, right next to the paddington bear chata brought her from london. it's challenging to explain that tía chata is my sister, and therefore her aunt, when coco herself has no siblings to speak of.

the reason i worry about these things is mostly because on previous visits with family and friends, since she was an infant, coco would scream when she was held, and sometimes even touched, by someone other than myself, panzón or my parents. this would me to stress out because, for one, her screaming would pierce my brain via both of my ears, and because even though adults understand that babies are fickle, i just know that it made tiny cracks in the hearts of family members.

now that toddlerhood has given coco more independence and confidence in herself, and that she doesn't have to be held at all, she gives us one loud, juicy kiss on each cheek and a big hug, which, to my amazement, was the greeting tía chata received when she walked through the door. coco melted when she saw her baby cousin and immediately gave him his long-anticipated nickname, ov, which is pronounced OFF.

during their visit, she would gently pat his head, sweetly kiss his chubby cheeks, and lightly touch his nose with the tip of her finger. she wanted him to sit close to her, so that they could enjoy a book together. the cold situation had me a bit uneasy, but the tenderness that oozed from coco and ov being together was just irresistible.

incidentally, coco has started referring to herself by her real name, which she pronounces ON.