Making up for lost punctuation!!!!

I wrote yesterday's post at the end of a long, tiring day. I promised myself that I would finish it before going to sleep and ended up staying up much later than usual to do it. Pushing the publish button for the first time in so long felt strange. And exhilarating. Discovering what is going on inside Oliver is like winning the lottery, Christmas morning and sitting at the top of a very tall roller coaster drop all at the same time. Nik and I have been looking at each other in wonder a lot lately. "Did he really just write that?" "Can you believe he knows that?" "Wow!!"

 But when I re-read the post again just now I wondered where I put all the exclamation points? I mean, let's face it: that form of punctuation was made for stories like the one I am telling. So to make up for yesterday, let me just say: We are having conversations with my boy!!!!!!!!!! He taught himself to read!!!!!!! He can write!!!!!!! At nine he has finally found a way to communicate!!!!!!! There should be something better than an explanation point for those sentences, don't you think?

So anyway, we are having lots and lots of conversations around here. I'm constantly shoving a piece of paper and a marker in front of my boy. Frequently he writes things like: "Go away now!" "Leave me alone!" "I don't want to write anymore!!" and "I just want to play Doodle Jump." But there are also wonderful conversations like this one:

Me: Oliver, tell me about your day.
Oliver: It was a great day.
Me: Why? What was so great?
Oliver: I rode my bike with Papi and we went to Fridleys Gap for a hike.

Or this one:
Me: Papi wants to go for a bike ride. Do you want to go?
Oliver: Yes.
Me: Where would you like to go on your bike?
Oliver: One of JMU or EMU
Me: Would you like to go just with Papi or with the whole family?
Oliver: With the whole family.
Me: Then you'd better ask Sami if he wants to go.
Oliver: Sami, will you go for a bike ride with us?

Just everyday regular dialog between a mom and her son. Nothing profound is being said but the saying of it is the most profound thing I've ever experienced.