Careful What You Wish For

When Bambam was 2.5 years old and not uttering a single work yet, I had but one single wish. If he could just talk. If he could just tell me what he needed, wanted, liked, hated, was scared of, etc our lives would be so much easier. The endless meltdowns would slow down, possibly end. It was to me the answer to everything.

With hours and hours of therapy and patience, he did eventually start speaking. And has not shut up since. I have never been around a child with such severe verbal diarrhea. That child is never quiet. He talks incessantly, and usually about one topic that he perseverates on day after day after day for weeks. The topic may change every few weeks, but after 3-4 weeks of hearing about the same biplane, or pizza delivery man, or bulldozer I'm about ready to use the pirate bullet on myself. How much is one parent expected to take?

Last weekend Miracle Boy was gone. And Bambam was obsessing over this fact. He is after all Miracle Boy's shadow. Sometimes I feel bad for that teenager as Bambam follows him all around the house. So starting at 6:30 Sunday morning Bambam started with "When brother home?" or "when brother time?" or "brother home 10 minutes?" or "brother home an hour?" or "brother home yet?" or ..... you get the idea. Every 5 minutes there was some version of this question. And he doesn't just ask the question, he has to poke you too, just to make sure he has your attention. Imagine: poke, poke, poke every 5 minutes. And he does not discriminate on where he pokes you, arm, leg, stomach, back, boob. Poke, poke poke, "brother home 10 minutes?" over and over and over again.

By 10:00 am I had locked my self in my bathroom. I know, mother of the year award. But seriously, if he poked me one more time I was going to loose it. Poke, poke, poke. If you don't think that is irritating, you are a saint.

I love that he can talk and tell us what he needs, when noises are too loud, that he likes the garbage truck, that the neighbor's dog is his friend. I love the things he says, he's funny without trying. Having him tell me that he had lunch with TJ and played with Ben at recess is beautiful to me. He's worked so long and hard so he can tell me. But silence, just a few minutes of silence, well they say its golden. I'm not sure, I don't think I've heard it in oh 4 years or so. Perhaps I should borrow his noise cancelling headphones.