Words

I remember not too long ago, really, it seems like yesterday, when Alexandra, then 16 months old, began to speak whole-heartedly. She had this clever way of communicating, which seemed like sentences from the very beginning. She would point to things and tell us what they were, what sound they made or tell us what she wanted to eat. Counting in English and Spanish, knowing her ABC's in song and sight. Her little miniature voice, so sweet and so clear. We always thought she was VERY verbal, even as an infant. Today, now 3 1/2, she is still a little chatterbox. Just the other night, Brandon and I had to laugh at how exhausted we felt after listening to her tell us everything, about her day, about what we are wearing, about "rememberings" of things we've done or ever done, of well, anything. The girl has the gift of gab. Along with this gift, comes sweet and tender moments, ones that make you fully appreciate her ability to communicate so wonderfully. The "Momma I love you so much" never gets old.

Once you have child number two, so they say anyways, you have to not compare. You can't compare your first to your second, expecting the same milestones to be reached at the same time. Expecting them to learn the same things the same way. I am still learning this. They also say that boys are so different from girls. I think I'd have to agree.

My sweet little Cade was such a different baby than my Alex. He was more mild mannered, calm and was a good sleeper from the start. Along with this mild infancy, came a short fuse, a strong determined character and a temper. This temper is becoming stronger and more visible to us the older he gets. Now 18 months old, he still has such limited vocabulary-- something frustrating to him and to us. It is not that he doesn't understand or talk, for he clearly does. He is just not nearly as verbal as his sister was. I am often surprised at the things he does understand, almost like he is reminding us that he knows, he just can't say it back. He talks with his mouth closed most of the time. You can hear little words being said, held in behind those cute little lips and heart shaped tongue.

To me, this has become "normal." His throaty discussions are a regular part of my day. I listen and respond when he communicates like this to me, because most of the time I have an idea as to what he is trying to say. But, I suppose to those not regularly around him this type of communication is funny. Today when I picked him up from the nursery after Sunday School,the worker joking told me what she thought Cade would make a great ventriloquist!