Kid Amnesiac

… plus c’est la même chose.

Tuesday was just the second time this spring (spring!) that we have had the time, light, and weather to go outside after dinner. After Simon explored the alley and played in his little house for a while, Matt and I decided we should treat ourselves to a trip to Ce Fiore, an Italian dessert place about a half a mile away on Bardstown Rd.

This must have been our first trip since at least October, and quite possibly August or September. Some aspects were new: Simon walked half the way there and the whole way back, he climbed up onto his seat on his own, he ably fed himself with no problem (eating ice cream with a spoon requires some skills), and he threw away his garbage when we had finished. And while we ate, he carried on a complete conversation that was much more sophisticated than what he could manage six or so months ago. These new aspects highlighted his growth and development and were a treat for his parents.

Other aspects, equally delightfully, remained unchanged. He wanted to push his own stroller, just like he did last year. When we walked Ce Fiore, he asked if he could get purple ice cream, if I could get green tea ice cream, and if we could share each other’s, just like he did last year. He made eyes at several attractive women he ran into on the way to and at the shop, just like he did last year. On the way out, he enthusiastically thanked everyone and called out “Goodbye ice cream store!”  just like he did last year. And once we walked outside and he noticed the triangular stretch of  sidewalk between the store and street, he looked at me with a gleam in his eye and took off running in circles. Which is just like he did last year until July or so, when he started to freak out over loud traffic noises and abruptly stopped.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Simon may keep growing and going into and out of various phases, but he always seems to revert to his old habits and old self.