communication

it is so refreshing to be able to communicate with gabe as effectively as we do these days. he is learning new words every day, and he understands nearly everything we tell him.

i can remember a time, several months back when i thought that the idea of a speaking gabe was so unreal. it just didn't feel like my little baby would ever be able to simply tell me what he wanted. i felt like i would probably spend the rest of my life guessing at what he wanted. and i was okay with it. it was a great way to exist.

but so is this. when he wants something these days, he looks at me and says "bee" (please). if i am lucky, i may even get a "date you" (thank you). when he sees a dog, he tells me ("puppy!") and when we go to publix, he lets me know he would like a "cocky" (cookie). if i ask him to try a word, he does. and now, he counts to two (sometimes three, if we are lucky). the best part is, we never made an effort to teach him to count. he picked it up all on his own. and today in the car, he showed it off for us. it is not by any means easy to understand, and for all we know, he has been saying these words forever, and we just never noticed. we are just thrilled to be a part of watching him grow and learn.