I don't know why it sticks with me, but when Simon was still a lot smaller and starting to babble more, a waiter at Finaghty's told us, "Just wait until that little personality comes out and he starts talking. You'll never get him to shut up!" That time is fast approaching.
While there's little question in my mind that Simon is still behind his peers in terms of speech, his progress in recent weeks has been absolutely remarkable. He's able to mimic stuff we throw at him, his inventory of nouns is far larger than we think, he's putting together sentences and complete thoughts, and perhaps most charming, he's having conversations with us.
It wasn't that long ago that we were lucky to get "yeah" or "no" answers from him. Now, Diana will ask him at night if he wants to sing "Wheels on the Bus," and he'll respond, "No Wheels on Bus, please," and ask for help covering his feet with the blanket. When sitting at a traffic light, he'll say, "Green! Go fast!" My personal favorite, when it's time to close the door so I can "go" to work, is, "Bye bye love you daddy have a fun day!"
If all of the chatter weren't enough, he's so affectionate now. Prying him off of your leg is a little annoying, but he likes to hug and lay on the floor with you. Simon is a hugger. When we watch a little Sesame Street before bed, which is getting rare given his desire to play with toys, he prefers to have an arm around him.
All of this cuteness also comes with some of the most intense meltdowns ever. When he can't do something that he wants, it's not uncommon for him to skip his new found communication skills and revert to kicking and screaming. It's really not fun, but you kind of just marvel at the tears and screams and take comfort in knowing it will be over soon.
I'm really enjoying parenthood at the moment. Every day I'm compelled to turn to Diana and say, "Holy crap, we made that." Even when it's hard, it never stops being amazing.
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