Cartalk

In the summertime, we go places. We go places to make up for the fact that from November-March, we don't go places. Because it's dark and cold out. Going places usually means getting in the car, which I especially like because both boys are strapped in their carseats and for Ashton in particular, there is little trouble to cause besides crushed goldfish on the floor. Car rides are generally nice, and I would almost consider them a break. Until...lately.

Now, you know that for a long time, Ashton's speech wasn't quite there. I hoped it would catch on eventually and tried not to worry that he was far enough behind to need a speech therapist.

Well, we drove to Needham the other day to go to the Touch A Truck event. On the way home, he.did.not.stop.talking. At all. "Gimme snack, Mommy. I want a snack! I want a snack! GIMME SNACK! GIMME IT! Where we going? Where we going Mommy? Is it in Massachusetts? [I'm serious, he actually asked me this.] Where we going? Home? Home Mommy? Where's Daddy? Daddy at work? What's he doing? What's he doing at work? Where we going? Gimme snack. GIMME SNACK! Look at that mitten, Mommy. Look at that mitten! What is it? Look! LOOK AT THAT MITTEN!!! [At this point, I actually had to answer him because I didn't know what he was talking about. He was getting excited almost to the point of agitation and I was like, "What? What??"

And then I saw.

Heavens to Betsy. The orange hand signal at the crosswalk.

So that was a long drawn out conversation about why the "mitten" was there, that it means "Don't walk", that you can only cross when the mitten goes away and you see a man instead, yaddee yaddee yaddah. Lots of "How come?"s in that one. It's pretty unbelievable when you think that toddlers literally have to learn everything about the world and it's your job to teach them.]

"Ok, I see the mitten. I see it Mommy. I don't walk. GO! Go Mommy, green. Green. THERE'S THE MAN! Look! LOOK AT THE MAN! We walk? The mitten's gone!! Where it go? Where we going? Home? Where are my jamas? We going home to sleep. For naptime. Yeah? My jamas are at home. I like naptime, I ready. Aye-yex (Alex) sleeping, he's sleeping Mommy. Right there, he sleeping. I want a snack. Gimme SNACK..."

I'm not sure I can even emphasize, this was like one big run-on sentence that, save for the crosswalk conversation, I did not interrupt. He chattered almost the entire way home (20 minutes) and some of it I just had to laugh. Especially when he put up his index finger and asked me if where we were going was in Massachusetts. What? Hahaha.

So there's one main point here with two different ways to look at it. Car rides used to be relaxing but now I have a passenger who talks my ear off. But, now I have a passenger that talks my ear off. I'll take it :)