Conversations with a One-Year-Old

I admit that my son’s level of communication is at a beginner level right now. However, the fact that Marshall is expressing himself and being understood is a huge breakthrough in our home.

One of our most memorable conversations happened during suppertime a few weeks ago and it went a little like this:


While observing Marshall push a mouthful of food out his mouth with his tongue—very classy…

Mama: It looks like you’ve had enough supper. Are we all done, Marshall?

Marshall raises his hands in the air à la “all done!” to indicate he’s full.

Mama: That’s too bad, because I have a yogurt here with your name on it (revealing the yogurt).

Marshall lets out an anxious squeak, while pointing at his yogurt.

Mama: But I thought we were all done!

Marshall continues to point until Mama pries open the yogurt lid.


Our entire thirty-second conversation brought a tear to my eye. Gosh, there were days when time dragged on, when my inconsolable infant refused to eat, refused to sleep and only wanted to be held. Nowadays, he’s a whirlwind of vocal exercises who crawls through the house, attacks the toilet paper roll, tugs on the dog and plays with every toy on his play mat in a matter of minutes.

And with that whirlwind come big changes. Marshall can walk beside me while holding me with one hand. He can ease himself back to sleep in the middle of the night. He has stopped eyeballing me as a food source now that he has discovered 3.25% milk. All these things make me misty-eyed, too.

Really, I get emotional over the tiniest things nowadays! In fact, I was so concerned about this that I took a pregnancy test not too long ago. If my tear ducts were that out of whack, I must be knocked up. But no, the test was negative.

It turns out that having a baby can knead a tough cookie into a doughy sap.

Case-in-point, my heart skips a little beat when Marshall blows me kisses or crawls up to me for one of his smooshy “I love you” bear hugs, two of my most favourite interactions with my boy. There is nothing more genuine and unconditional than a baby’s hug. I suspect that baby hugs could bring about world peace.

Can anybody send me a time machine? And some Kleenex?