06/28/2007

Yesterday Nathan said his first sentence. OK--'sentence' would be stretching it, but it was a complete idea expressed in verbal form that made total sense to me. Picture Nathan standing inside our apartment reaching up...up...up on his tiptoes in order to try and turn the doorknob on our front door. These are the words he actually said:

"Mama, Mama, Mama. Go Dada Dada Dada Car Please? Mama, please! Where Dada? Go please."

Translation: Hey, Mom, can we please go out to the car and head to wherever Daddy is?

Well, we didn't have the car. Daddy had taken it. However, I was so tickled at this string of words that he had used to express himself. I just cannot believe how Nathan's verbal skills are taking off. Some things he says only I would ever understand (example: 'down' is the word commonly used to mean either down or up. The same is true for 'no.' No can be used as either a yes or a no. Obviously we have some trouble with the concept of opposites.) Anyways, I think it won't be long before we'll sit together on the patio and share deep conversations over steaming mugs of Vanilla Latte. We'll delve into philosophy and debate about global warming. We might even discuss politics. I can't wait!

It is SO exciting as a parent to listen to your child as they try to communicate with you...even when the language is flawed and the lisp is strong. I know that Nathan desperately wants for me to converse with him...to listen to his thoughts. Most of the time I could probably predict what he would like before he attempts to ask for it. Observing Nathan loitering around the front door, I would naturally conclude that he would like to head out and about. Still, it means something to me that he has tried his hardest to tell me these things. A lot like God, huh?

God wants us to speak with Him. He wants us to try and express how we feel, what we think, etc., even if we can't find quite the right words or if the stuttering in our voice is distracting. He just wants to hear His children speak. It's okay with Him if we just try. When the word 'down' could mean either up or down, God knows what we meant to say. He is a better listener than I am! I have quite a large margin of error, but somehow God interprets our toddler-speak accurately every time. And I think He likes it...just like earthly parents do...when the voice of His little child calls His name. "Dada Dada Dada."