Speaking

We have a first word from Caleb!

He's been working really hard at talking for a while. His babbling is so clear you'd swear that if you just listened a little harder you could make out what he was saying. Up to now he would say "Mama", but not always exclusively for me (milk and more also got "ma"). He would also repeat a word (sound) if you said it to him. But today, completely on his own, he spoke his first word:

"Truck."

What a boy. But we knew that. The two of us were out for a walk this morning, and we hardly got anywhere, because every time a truck went by Caleb stopped, pointed and shouted "Flshruck!" (He had a soother in, and "tr" is hard to pronounce.) His excitement bubbled over at every truck. Transport trucks, pickup trucks, even buses and one tractor were also deemed "trucks". If six or seven small cars passed in a row, a minivan was then called "truck". Basically if it was big and impressive, it was a truck. But he's definitely got the idea. Playing with his toys later was like finding a goldmine - we have a lot of toy trucks.

Of course, it's just the first word. He so desperately wants to communicate and is easily frustrated that I don't seem to understand. Case and point: on our walk this morning he all of a sudden start to cry. It was a definite cry - meaning that he wanted or needed something. I put him in the stroller; I took him out. I took off his mitts and hat; I put them on. I carried him; I put him down. Nothing was working. He was rooted to the spot on the sidewalk, trying to walk circles around me. I kept turning to him, showing I was interested and really trying to understand. A little dizzy from spinning, I paused and stood still. He zipped around me and tugged at my back. Then it hit me - he had seen his water bottle in my knapsack - he had been trying to circle around to get it, and every time I kept turning to face him the bottle disappeared!

As I listen to how "eloquently" (for a 3-year old) Colin speaks, I realize that the time from first word to full paragraphs of conversation is but a moment in time. This is the last element of "babyhood" for Caleb, and it's quickly fading away.