Out of the mouth of babes

My kids like to talk, all except one that is.  Sometimes I have to squeeze words out of her.  But the others--they talk and talk and talk.  Even William has gotten into the act lately.  Up until this week he only knew a few words and mostly communicated through pointing and grunting.  But he seems to be going through a word explosion and learns new words every day.  These are the words he can say as of now:  ball (that was his first word), duck, dog, cat, horse, fish, mama, papa, cake (he learned that one tonight at dinner and he kept asking for it over and over), turtle, book, bird, and bat.  It is so fun to watch him figure out a new word and know that he is communicating what he wanted to say.  The other day he was sitting in his high chair and I was getting his food ready for lunch.  He was looking out the sliding glass door into the backyard and started making some noises about something.  I didn't look up because I was trying to get his food ready.  He kept making sounds and pointing and finally said "bird."  It was so clear.  I looked outside and yep, there was a robin looking for food in the grass.  It was so fun to hear him learn a new word and get it right.  He was so happy when I repeated the word back to him and pointed at the bird, and he knew he said it right and that I understood him. 

Sarah is also a talker, and has been from the beginning.  She talks all day.  She loves to come home from school and tell me all about her day and can't seem to start on her homework or other responsibilities until she has told me everything on her mind.  She also loves to talk at bedtime.  The other night I tucked her in bed and she asked me, like she does every night, to sit down next to her and talk to her.  "Come talk to me, Mama," she says every night.  This particular night I sat down and said, "What did you want to tell me?"  She said, "Oh nothing.  I just wanted you to be close in case I think of something I want to say." 

Kate has lots to say to me every day too.  But lately, if she doesn't have anything in particular to say, she keeps talking anyway, and just tells me that she loves me.  She probably tells me she loves me 20 times a day.  It is sort of her filler words if she can't think of something to say.  I love it.  She still has plenty of whining and fighting going on as well, but her cute, "I love you soooooo much Mama!  You are the best mama I ever met!" somehow makes me forget all the other not-so-nice things that come out of her mouth. 

Ben had a friend over the other day.  He loves having other boys come to play, and it is fun to listen to them talk.  They throw in all sorts of words and sounds we don't hear around here otherwise, like "dude" and grunts and all sorts of crazy noises.  Listening to them the other day Sarah was laughing and said, "How do they learn to talk like that to each other?  Boys are so weird."  It totally made me laugh. 

That only leaves one child:  Rachel.  She's my quiet one.  I tuck her in bed at night and ask her about her day and can barely get me to tell her a few things.  She's been working on a homework assignment about some sort of change in her life and it about killed her to write about something remotely personal.  But when I can get her to talk, she amazes me with her wisdom and understanding of the world around her at such a young age.  When she talks, I listen.