Look Who's Talking

Ollie is saying "Mama" and "Dada" very clearly and very intentionally. He's also combining these words with something that sounds KIND OF like "Hi" so we get something that, to our anxious ears, sounds like "Hi Mama!" and "Hi Dada!"

Ollie is also mimicking the intonation of certain phrases. Friends and family members who remember Merrit imitating the phrase, "Yes We Can!" (which sounded like "Ha Hee Haaaa!") will recognize this kind of -- well, it's a stretch to call it speech -- but we're proud of the little whippersnapper all the same. So, Ollie is definitely imitating us saying, "All Done!" It comes out something like this: "Daaat Doouughh."

I'm also trying to expose him to more signs. We're using signs for:

- Eat
- Milk
- More
- Kitty
- All Done
- Bath
- Book
- Slide
- Gentle
- Play

I'm also trying to combine "More" (word and sign) with concepts other than those that relate to food. Today at the park I was asking him, "More Slide?" in words and in sign. He would start walking toward the steps to get back to the top in a kind of quick two-step happy walk. Then at the top of the slide, he'd look at me with this excited smile of anticipation and clap his hands. (Oh, those are the moments!) He was even more cute/funny with his hair totally standing on end from the static electricity of the plastic slide! Darn, I didn't have my camera with me!