Baby Book Blunder
Thursday, July 10, 2008

I got Scout's baby book out today and was documenting a few things before I forget....like the recent emergence of these big chunky molars jutting through her gums, making her wildly cranky. While flipping through the pages, I realized that I don't exactly know what Scout's first word was.

Her babbling evolved slowly into speech....so slowly, that both DH and I missed any clear cut moment that yielded the all-important "first word". {light streaming down from heaven and a choir sings}

But then, DH peeked over my shoulder while I was writing this post and reminded me that the first time that she ever said a word and seemed to actually understand the meaning of it was on our anniversary in January. Scout was almost 9 months old. A lady from our church was over because DH was repairing her computer. When she went to leave, Scout said "bah-bah"(clearly meaning "bye-bye"). And I *think* she accompanied it with a wave. She said it a couple times after that, but then didn't say it again for a while. Before that moment, she had been saying mamamamama and dadadadadada for a few months, but I'm pretty sure she was just babbling. Sometimes I would think she was actually saying dada and mama and knew what it meant, but it was so hard to tell because it was so sporadic.

There's a spot in her baby book to write down the first time she said "mama" and "dada". I have no idea what to write. She still hardly ever calls me "mama", although she has been calling DH "daieee" or "dada" for months now. I just wish I could remember when she started saying it on purpose. And actually, sometimes it seems like she thinks that my name is "daieee" too. There have been times when I have pointed at my picture and she will make the sign for "daddy' and then squeals "daieee!" Sometimes when I really need a break or nothing seems to be keeping entertained (I would say, maybe once or twice a week), I will pop in her Ba*by Ei*nst*ein My Fi*rst Sig*ns DVD. Man-o-man, she loves that thing! (Yes, yes...I know. T.V. is bad for babies. So shoot me.) When they show images of mommies holding their babies and then they sign and say "mommy", Scout says "daieee!" loudly, like she is disagreeing and does the sign for "daddy" instead. It's like in her world, Mommy and Daddy are this one Entity called "Daieee". Meh. Whatchya gonna do?

In more recent speech news, Scout has started saying "potty" (well, sort of....it sounds more like "pah-pah" ), when she used to just sign it. Before you get too impressed, she doesn't actually USE the potty, but she likes to walk past our bathroom while signing and saying "pah-pah". She also points to her little baby potty and says it. Yesterday, we were at the local farm supply and feed store {insert music from Deliverance here} because DH was working on their computer (surprise, surprise). Scout saw the bathroom there and excitedly said "pah-pah" while signing potty. Then, she immediately did the sign that we use for "diaper change". I was proud of her for making the connection. I guess it makes sense, though, because most of the time when I notice her pooping her diaper, I ask cheerfully, "Are you going poopy in your diaper? Do you need to sit on the potty?" I'm not very consistent with it, but sometimes I sit her down on the potty after I take her diaper off. Of course, by then it's always too late. But I figure it's a good habit to get into anyway.

And a pic of Scout, just because I like it:

Labels: firsts, scout talking

posted by Unkempt Mommy @ 7:12 AM,

3 Comments:

At Thu Jul 10, 03:15:00 PM CDT, Two Lines On a Stick said...: I was having a little bit of baby book panic myself today. Mine has a spot to write the date for EVERY tooth. As if I know which session of crankiness produced which little white speck. It seems to all blur together already. And it's the same here with the words, we never know for sure if she's really saying it, or what day it started, and then she's on to something else and forgets that word for a while. I am going to have to dig back through my blog to try and fill it in :(
At Thu Jul 10, 03:16:00 PM CDT, Two Lines On a Stick said...: Oh and I meant to thank you for your comment about the BSWW's and the pocket. Even the lady at Cottonbabies who showed me how to use prefolds stuck the prefold in that "pocket" so I can see a blog post idea coming on here...
At Wed Jul 16, 10:14:00 PM CDT, Harmony said...: I don't track Maggie's words very well either. And she doesn't sign anything so far...
My best resource when I'm backtracking to figure out what to write in her baby book is my blog :D How sad is that?!?!!