Remy emits a chorus of sounds that seem very much like he’s trying to have a conversation, often accompanied by one of his chubby, little fingers pointing at something. I particularly enjoy all the inflections that can be applied to aaah’s, oooh’s and other random sounds. Yes, Remy, I agree. Aaah-ooooh.
Every once in a while, though, the sounds coelesce into something that sound surprisingly like a word in the English language in a context where such a word would be appropriate. There’s been the “ow” when he bonked his head, “hi” while getting someone’s attention, “milk” while doing rapid milk sign language, and “out” when doing the all done sign when he wanted out of his high chair.
Since none of these one-off babblings have been repeated, I hesitate to call them words instead of flukes, but I’m hopeful. It’s clear that our little guy has a lot to communicate with us and I look forward to hearing more about what those things are.
The great thing about language acquisition is that it pretty much just happens as long as people are talking to you. My own excitement at Al’s first words paled a bit when the second one was “No!”
What most fascinates me is that a huge majority of Remy’s development seems to “just happen.” We could take a lesson from the genius of babies when it comes to learning new skills. I just try my best to appreciate his milestones and not interfere.