What S-T-O-and P really spells

The whole world halted yesterday afternoon.

This, in the midst of a crazy work schedule and preparations for Molls' wedding and a to-do list that rattles in the back of my thoughts constantly and all good intentions to recount every adorable detail of Easter egg hunting in the snow.

None of that mattered when the late sun was settling in through the half-closed living room blinds and Lil E and my mom and I were stretched out on the floor setting up Candy Land. They'd just returned from daycare pick-up and some time in the cold wind at the park by our old apartment. Lil E referred to it as "the playground by daddy's house" and it was this peaceful acknowledgment of these months and more changes. They buzzed proudly about how much more he can do there now that he is bigger and taller and more confident and agile-- swing from the handlebars, climb the tall ladders, breeze through the swinging bridges.

And then my mom gasped.

"LIL E!," a smile overwhelmed her, "Tell mommy what you can spell!"



"Spell?" Really, spell?



Lil E got a concentrated look on his face that was framed by slightly-upturned lips. He breathed in deeply.



"S...T...," he inhaled again. "Ooooohhhhhh. Annnnnd..."



He thought for a moment. I heard the mantle clock ticking softly on the
other side of the room. I saw my mom's eyes widen. My own heart skipped
a little beat.



"P!" He said it triumphantly then went back over it again. "S-T-O-and P! STOP! STOP!"



It was glorious. The world was spinning, time is speeding by and there
is my boy -- all three-and-a-half years, 28 pounds and 38 inches of him
-- bringing it all to most lovely pause. Lil E spelled for the first time.



That unwinding of one little word, so full of so much potential and
whispers of all that is to come for this child, was the most happy
hesitation.



My boy spelled a word. And the word was S-T-O-and P. And for the
moment, that word was the world, and the only word I needed to hear.

Comments

[2Jmama]

AWESOME!!!!! That was Jay's first spelling word, too!! How fun!! They grow up so fast!!

[cry it out!]

woohoo! awesome indeed!

[Stuck_In_AL]

Congratulations! That word opens the door for many sarcastic comments, but I will just say, "Good job, Lil Buckaroo!"

[Pam]

The love you have for your son pours out of every word you used to describe this little monumental, exciting and fantastic moment.Whenever I read your words, they remind me to STO and P and enjoy every single milestone with my 6 year old, every single conversation and event and if I forget, I *should* look at my 21 year old son to remind me of how fast it goes by.What a great read this blog will be for your son when he's grown. What a gift.

[mj aka sugarmama]

I love it! Children are just so wonderful. My husband and I are at that point now that we can't spell the words we don't want them to hear, because my oldest one is already a reader. I need to formulate some kind of other secret language...hehe

[Mat]

Awesome post! Lil E just sounds so sweet! I love that you can share these types of moments on here so eloquently.

Because he has an older brother my almost three year old can spell a four letter word too... YODA. (What four letter word did you think it would be?). We're expecting a third and the almost-three-year-old wants to name him... YODA. If you tell the almost-three-year-old it's time to change a diaper/wash your hands/brush your teeth/time for dinner/ you will not get a response until you address him as YODA. "Yoda, time to brush your teeth!" They have not yet seen the movies, but thanks to the public library they know every character in Star Wars and even know who will die and who won't.

You could teach your readers how to play SNAPS. Remember that game? It's a WAY longer way to spell out words but even kids who can spell will probably never figure it out. I'm not sure how well it would work though... obviously it's not as convenient as "Should we have I C E C R E A M tonight or skip it?"