Communication and Change

Gwen's speech is improving daily. The other three children delight in getting her to repeat things, both to hear her funny pronunciations and also to be able to tell me new words that she can say. I'm always overhearing, "Gwen, say _____". Usually she gets the beginning sound of the word and not a lot else.

However, the newest addition to her collection of distinguishable words comes across quite plainly. It's this~ "See, Mom, see." She wants me to watch her, of course. Sometimes she's wanting me to watch her vague copies of Madelyn's gymnastics moves, moves where Gwen is on all fours with one leg in the air. Sometimes she wants me to see her funny little made up dances, the ones where she spins around a few times and then does some jumping, grinning all the while.

Gwen's "See, Mom, see" reminds me of a similar phrase from a little blonde boy, our first one... Caleb. We were living in Atlanta, and Seth was literally just days away from being born. One balmy Georgia day in December, we took Caleb to Lake Lanier to play by the water. It wasn't swimming weather, but certainly a nice day to be on the beach. He was not quite two and a half at the time. He found stones on the beach, as little boys will, and discovered the fun of throwing them into the water. Over and over, rock after rock, his little voice calling out with each toss~ "Mom, watch it happen!" In my pregnancy weary state, I was almost irritated that I was supposed to watch every toss, but now... well, you know. Now that first little blonde boy is finishing the sixth grade. He is nearly my height (taller than me with his roller blades on) and his shoes are too big for me. The years are rushing by, aren't they? I've tried to "watch it happen", but I can't remember seeing that blonde toddler slip away and return as this tall, brown haired boy that lives at my house now.