Cousin Correspondence

Having Grandma--and her toys and books and bunny cookies--all to yourself every day is a pretty sweet deal. Louis has a lot of fun running errands, going to the library, playing in her sandbox, and just enjoying time together with Grandma. In fact, he cheers every morning when we turn into her neighborhood. But ever since four of his out-of-town cousins returned home more than a week ago, Louis still asks for them, especially his 7-year-old cousin Julia.

Julia knew Louis would miss her when she and her family left. What's not to miss?

She giggles a lot, loves to sing, knows everything there is to know about rodents, can make up a story on the spot, wrote the national anthem for the imaginary country she and Louis reign over ("Chimerica"), and wants Louis to sleep in her room if he ever comes for a sleepover (for that matter, so does her sister, Mary).

Julia is also extremely thoughtful. So she sent Louis a homemade card telling him how much she loved and missed him. It arrived in the mail just days after we said a mournful good-bye to Julia, Gregory, Mary, and Paul--and their mom.

Getting real mail is serious business in our house.

Getting mail from Julia?

We read every word.

We pored over the drawings.

And they were worth poring over. I'm not sure how well this image shows it, but there is a train bearing Louis, Mama, Baba, Julia, and the Cat in the Hat. And my description doesn't begin to do it justice.


This was no standard note. This was a thoughtful, personalized, cousin-designed card.

And it deserved more than a standard acknowledgment. It required an immediate phone call, even if dinnertime (ours) and bedtime (Paul's and Mary's) had to be set aside.

He grabbed the phone.


He was so excited to speak with "Dulia! Dulia! Dulia!"

With some prompting, Louis told Julia, "Thank you."

He listened closely to everything Julia had to say.

As Julia talked, Louis tried to figure out why there were holes in the bottom of the phone.

He told Julia, "I love you," and said, "Friend."

That's right. He didn't just listen. True to his character, Louis actually had quite a bit to say.

Sometimes, however, words are not enough.

So Louis offered Julia a bite of his stick of cheese.

Fortunately Julia revels in imaginative play--even over the phone. (There's a reason my most recent role in one of her theatrical performances was that of a unicorn wearing a flowered hat and a white tablecloth.)

She happily accepted cheese from Louis.

And Louis couldn't have been more excited to have his very own conversation with Julia.


Couldn't have been more excited? Well, that's not true. He'll be even more thrilled when we see Julia, Gregory, Paul, and Mary again in a few weeks.

For now, though, Louis has a beautiful card sitting in the center of the dining room table. And it sure makes him smile.

And if you're wondering what Louis looks like when he has a big smile, take a look at this picture Julia drew of them looking at each other (hanging out upside down) during her last visit to town in February.


Yes, Louis will gladly trade unlimited access to Grandma's toys for another visit with Julia, Gregory, Mary, Paul, and any of his other fun-filled cousins. Until then, with cousins living in six states, thank goodness we have a phone and a mailman.