Person!

Mouse finished getting his jim-jams on this evening, scampered over to his futon chair, scrambled up onto it, sat down with his ankles crossed and patted the space next to him while saying, ‘You!’. I think maybe he wanted me to come and sit with him!

I’ve posted before about the amazing revelation of his improving communication skills - an everyday quiet miracle. It was a beautiful sunny warm evening this evening, the first this year. After we picked Mouse up from nursery we collected some birdseed from the house and went off to feed the ducks. We’re lucky; the park is a hundred yards from where we live. I asked him if he wanted to walk and he said, ‘Mummy shoulders!’ so I had my instructions!

We wandered across and I let him down about 50 feet from where the ducks congregate. There were ducklings and pigeons all enjoying the sunshine. He ran into their midst, putting up a cloud of pigeons but he really wanted to grab a duck - I had to get him not to chase them for fear he would actually catch one! These are expense-account ducks, totally pampered and overfed.

 The picture of my sunny, grey-eyed, apple cheeked boy, talking to the ducks and the blackbird on the fence, accosting fellow duck-feeders with all the news,  the evening light in his golden brown hair, laughing and chasing pigeons, will be with me as long as I have my memory.