Last weekend, Ishaan and I were driving back to Moreno Valley from Newport Beach. I was trying to leave by noon. But as is typical when leaving from my parents’ house, we didn’t actually end up leaving until closer to 4. 

This, I’ve found out, is the worst time to leave now that Ishaan isn’t taking naps in the car anymore. 

His car seat faces backwards and, when we’re on the 91 freeway, the sun shines RIGHT into the rear windshield at that time. And, though he loves frolicking around outside in the sunshine, he hate hates hates the sun going directly in his eyes. (I mean, who doesn’t?) 

My mom had tucked him nice and snug into the car seat with a blanket around his legs. Before we had hopped onto the freeway (and before the sun started shining into his eyes), I noticed he had kicked off the blanket and was lifting it up to cover his face. (I could see him through the rear facing car mirror).

He was smiling so I assumed he was trying to a play a little peek-a-boo. So I said, “OH! Where is Ishu? Where did Ishu go?”

He brought the blanket down and giggled so hard. 

We did a few more rounds of that before he tired of it and moved on to something else like playing with one of his handheld toys. 

Once we got onto the 91 freeway, the sun hit his eyes. He began to get fussy and started screaming. 

At first, I turned on the music hoping that my Toddler Tunes playlist would distract him. But he carried on screaming.

I caught a glimpse of the blanket in the mirror and remembered our little game. Hoping that I could somehow tell him – in a way that he understood – that he could hold up the blanket to block the sun from coming in his eyes.

I said, “OH! Where is Ishu? Where did Ishu go?” 

He stopped screaming and looked a little lost in thought.

Again, I said, “Where is Ishu? Where did Ishu go?”

His fingers slowly started reaching for the blanket and he lifted it up.

“Bye bye, sun!” I said.

He brought the blanket back down. And then immediately felt the sun in his eyes and lifted it back up. 

He kept it up for a few seconds and then, fortunately, the clouds covered up the sun for the remainder of the drive on the 91.

I don’t think he understood that he was using the blanket to shield his eyes. I don’t think he understood my intention, by any means.

But, in hearing those keywords he was familiar with, he was able to do something that I couldn’t do for him because I was in the driver’s seat. 

Every day – no, every hour – he does something new. And every time I watch his brain at work, I am blown away at how these little human beings develop. Not by being explicitly taught anything. But simply by BEING and observing and watching us live. 

It’s the coolest thing to see him grow from this teeny, helpless baby to a toddler in the backseat using a blanket to block the sun.

And we’re just getting started! There are going to be years and years of this and, even when he’s 30 years old, he will do something and I know I will be completely in awe of this man – my forever baby – that I brought into this world.