Hi

Last week we went to visit Kate and Kaila-- and of course, the firetrucks across the street. while we were there, the ambulance (or "beet") returned from a call. As it was backing into the fire station garage, the "manna" who was driving it saw us standing in the driveway across the street. he flashed the lights and waived at christian, who was wide-eyed and drooling. a few minutes later, while inside kate's house, he wanted to climb up on the couch to look at the trucks out the window. "Beet! Beet!" he pointed. i started recounting what had happened. "Yes. The ambulance came back, and the man flashed the lights and said 'hi!' to you." i waived my hand as the man had done. he looked at me, with a big grin on his face, waived, and said, "HI!!!!" in a high-pitched, excited tone. it was the first time he'd made the connection between the word 'hi' and its meaning. i don't think he'd ever said it before. and now... i don't think he'll ever STOP saying it. we recount the story several times a day... and if you ask him what the man said... he will grin, waive, and say "HI!!!" just as excited as that moment.
Last night i had a "girls' night" party for my friend Jenn who's getting married next week. the LAST thing christian wanted to do was go to bed right when all the guests were arriving and chatting down the hall from his room. he screamed for a while, and when i went in to check on him, and try to calm him down...it was obvious there was no hope of sleep arriving anytime soon. i picked him up and told him he could come say hi to everyone. he was shy and clingy (more common lately than not), but was happy to be out of bed. a while later when i tried to replace him in his crib, he began to cry, and whimper, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!!! Hiiiiii!!"
I guess he understands the meaning a little more than i thought!