Use Your Words

The words are starting to flow now (or maybe I'm just getting better at understanding Annabelle's slang). I mean, really, these little guys should learn to speak clearer so that adults can understand what they are saying. If you want a cookie, then say "cookie please."

This afternoon, Annabelle pointed at her Teddy Bear, and she said, "Teddy." She said it clear as day, and Grandmama heard her say it too! Of course, she probably won't use that word again for another month or two as that seems to be how she's operated in the past. I was very quick to praise her though (as I always do when she does something new). So, maybe, just maybe, she'll start talking more and more. Of course, after she does, I am probably going to start wishing that she'd be quiet for just a minute.

So far, I think I have recognized the following words since she started "talking." And, I think they've been in this order. I am sure that I have the order a little off on some words, but this is the best I recall.

1. "Tank to" or thank you
2. "Da da" or Daddy and apparently Mommy now. She's just started calling me "Da da" for some odd reason. Just the other day she was pointing at a picture of me in a little photo book, and she then smiled, turned to me, and pointed at me and said "Da da." Lovely!
3. "Ma ma" or Mommy. I thought she had said Mommy once upon a time, but apparently, I was wrong based on my comment above on "Da da." She does say "Ma ma." I'm just not so sure what it means. And, I am still confused over whether she said "Da da" or "Ma ma" first. Not that it really matters. But, based on the fact that I am also "Da da," it sounds like "Ma ma" was her just babbling.
4. "Gan ma ma" or Grandmama
5. "Gan da da" or Granddaddy - However, now, she refers to her Granddaddy as just "Da da." I think that every person is now "Da da" except for Grandmama. However, I haven't heard her say "Gan ma ma" or "Ma ma", for that matter, in awhile.
6. "Ju" or juice
7. "Nana" or banana - I had forgotten that she had used this word a long time ago until I searched my blog for "words." Apparently, I had documented some of her first words better than I thought I had.
8. "Ba ba" or baby
9. "Ba ba" or bottle - She refers to her sippy cup as a bottle.
10. "D" or dog
11. "I wuv wu" or I love you - I'm not positive if she has really said this or not, and the pronunciation looks better on paper than it really sounds in person, but I really think I've heard her say "I wuv wu" too. Maybe it is just wishful thinking?
12. "Sadow" or Shadow (our cat) - Again, she probably doesn't pronouce this as clearly as it looks on paper, but I really don't have a clue how to write out how she sounds it out.
13. "Bye Bye" or bye bye - She speaks this very, very clearly, and she has been using it appropriately since we went to Vogel State Park on December 27th, 2007.
14. "rwelcom" or Your welcome - Again, the pronunciation I have written probably is nothing like she really sounds on this one. Grandmama, can you help with the pronunciation? But, I think I've understood her to say this as well.
15. "Yes" or yes - I just noticed her starting to say "yes" within the last week. At first, I wasn't sure if she was really saying "yes," but I am fairly certain she is as she'll nod her little head up and down as she says it. I like the up and down nodding much better than the nodding side to side that she had started doing back in November or December. We've tried to limit our "nos" to more important issues so that she'll know we mean business. As a result, the side to side head shaking has reduced dramatically. She's much more positive now!
16. "Teddy" or Teddy - Yea! This has been the clearest word spoken so far! I actually started noticing earlier this week that she was trying to say "Teddy" by saying "T" as she's starting to say the first few letters of more and more words.

Wow! That is really a lot of words once they are written on paper. And, I was getting worried about her lack of vocabulary. It looks like she's right on target, so that makes me feel so much better as a Mommy! And, the best part, she seems to understand almost everything I tell her and/or ask her to do, and I am not kidding! There is very little that she does not understand, and we have been spelling "p-a-c-i" and "c-o-o-k-i-e" and "t-e-d-d-y" and "j-u-i-c-e" in front of her for awhile now (probably long before I even first documented her saying "Ju" or juice which was back on December 5). Kind of think of it...I think she's been understanding everything (for the most part) since her 12 month birthday.

And, last, but certainly not least...why isn't my spellcheck through google working? I'll apologize in advance for any misspelled words. I am normally pretty good at spelling, but sometimes I type too fast and fail to catch the misspellings (especially without my ABC spellcheck through google).