Conversations with my 1.8 Year Old

I can't believe the time has come for me to have conversations with my son. I mean, not too long ago he was still sitting there goo-goo ga-ga-ing away and here we are today communicating in long phrases and sentences.

Gabe started out repeating the things that I tell him. He does a lot of his repeating immediately, but what I meant from the previous sentence is that he'll see a situation/ scene which I gave him some description of on previous occasions, and tell me exactly what I told him back then. He'd also repeat instructions that were given to him some time ago when the same situation comes on again. Till today, he'll still be telling us, "Cannot come down the bed yourself. Must ask mummy and papa help. Cannot scream and shout and cry. " And this was the instruction that was first told to him when his bed arrived three weeks ago. The scary part of this memory thing is that he actually remembers promises (big or small) be it a day or a week later.

These days, he requests for things -- a certain CD to be played, a certain drink, a certain toy, to speak with someone on the phone, to go to someone's house, requiring you to perform a certain action.

He'll also tell us what's on his mind, and they reveal what he associates various places or people with. If we're heading to pick derod up from work, he'll rattle off that we'll get to go inside the tunnel (CTE), see water fountain (there's one just down the slope from derod's office) and name some of his colleagues. If we told him we're going out, he'd try his luck with some of his preferences e.g. to go to waigong and waipo's house. Then he'll fantacise that we'll "take the escalator and take the MRT train to go to Potong Pasir and drive taxi".

The other day I was home feeding him his lunch. He was so hungry that he asked for The Sound of Music to be switched off so that he could eat. I chided him for rejecting his breakfast and hence being so hungry that he couldn't wait for lunch to be served.
Cheoklet: See? You didn't want to eat your Sara Lee cake so now you're so hungry.
Gabe: Don't want cake.
Cheoklet: What about bread? What if mummy gave you bread instead? Would you have eaten it?
Gabe: *small pout and paused in silence for a while* Don't say "no!" to mummy. Cannot say "no!" to mummy.

There were so much unspoken thoughts in those two short phrases that I couldn't help but give in to laughing. I suppose I can still react like that for now, while his ability to comprehend is still limited. But not for long. Not for long.