First Conversation

Every Sunday afternoon at 2 pm local time, 8 am Hawaii time, the LTR and I phone our son, Eli. He's just turned two. The phone calls are pretty one sided, with the LTR and me saying the typical things ones says to a two year old half way around the globe, "Hi Eli, it's Daddy/Poppa. I love/miss you. Can't wait to see you." The LTR is better at this than I am -- he's good at making funny voices and sounds and using baby words on the phone (he does this with me all the time so he gets lots of practice) and I'm a bit phone shy anyway.

Here lately I've tried a different tactic. I'll say a few things and then be quiet hoping Eli will talk. I've been good at getting him to say "Da" which means Dad; and duck and bus and Ranger (our Dog) which are some of his favorite words. Today, this:

Me: "Eli, how old are you now?"

Eli: TuuuuUUUU? (most of his words are said as questions).

Me: That's right Eli, you're two. Do you have a birthday cake?

Eli: CaaaaaAAAA?

Me: What color is your cake?

Eli: BluuuuuUUU?

As I was working in the back yard this afternoon I was overhearing our neighbor Marcus talk to his two-and-a-half year old, Oliver. "Oliver, if you go poo in the pot I'll let you play with R2-D2, your robot." (I hollered over to Marcus that, technically, R2-D2 is an android, not a robot*. I really don't know why our neighbors don't like me).

Anyway, as I was listening to Marcus talk with his children, I realized that I had had my first real dialogue, my first conversation, with my son. I asked questions and he responded. His mother confirmed his cake is blue.

I thought that was really special, and came inside to blog about it.

*Quite frankly, now that I think about it, R2D2 IS a robot, as my understanding of the definition of an android is a robot designed to be humanlike. Therefore, C3PO, 'Droid. R2-D2, 'bot. But in Star Wars everyone refers to both as Droids. One could really geek out about this. Maybe in about 5-6 years if Eli gets into Star Wars we can discuss it.