word games

The joke we tell is this: Whenever Edie wants to be entertained she calls 'dadada.' Whenever she actually needs something she'll call 'mamama'. The truth is she has been saying the two sounds, strings of sounds rather than words, for a while now, with different degrees of intention, moving between one and the other. She certainly understands and waits expectantly when I tell her mama is coming. Smiles and waves when she arrives. 

I'm a little concerned that word number three is going to be 'no' or 'nanana.' Actually, there is no doubt that the sound and the message with this word is already programmed in. I know this because she has been practising shaking her head and saying to herself at the same time. Well, you have to say 'no' a lot to an increasingly mobile baby in a little house, simply to avoid trouble and tears. 

Sometimes I think Edie is saying no to herself in a little game. Could she really be imagining something then telling herself that is not permitted. Is that possible or does that sound too complex for an 11 month girl? Perhaps she just enjoys copying the sound or associates the sound with particular places in the house. The funny thing is that she looks all sad and serious when she says it. 

The final piece of language the she has already learned is a gesture. It's the symbol for 'milk'. She gestures using  British sign language and the action is basically that of squeezing an udder. To explain, Amy has been taking her to a song and actions class where they learn lots of gestures like this and we've used it whenever we've been giving her a bottle. It's effective as it's part of the bedtime routine. So now she is using it to remind us at the times she knows she usually gets her milk. She also uses it with me when I give her her evening bottle. She already has the bottle, she takes a drink, then just to remind me that she knows the symbol and to check I wont forget tomorrow, she'll make the gesture again. You can't be too careful when it comes to getting your evening feed