Caleb talks a lot and we try hard to understand – but our lack of understanding leads to a lot of meltdowns.
Yesterday Caleb walked over to me, jabbered away and then lifted up his arms to be picked up. I picked him up and went to sit down and Caleb screamed! So I took a sniff, made a guess and said, "do you need a clean diaper?" Caleb was so excited he did the happy dance! He stuck out his chin, bent at the waist, moved his arms like he was running while twisting back and forth at the waist.
I felt so proud I got it! I also felt stupid that I so obviously don’t understand him so much of the time that when I do understand, it’s cause for celebration!
Of course, this story could be seen from a whole different point of view. Instead of "Mommy got it," Caleb could be singing, "I co-mu-ni-ca-ted! I can talk to peo-ple!" The happy dance might really have nothing to do with me at all!