Thought I'd throw a quick note out and list all the ways Benton can communicate. He's quite the communicator.
Actions:
- Benton can smile and melt you.
- Benton points at interesting things.
- Benton can throw a tantrum like the best of them. He can cry at the drop of a dime, and he's pretty good at the back-arching thing.
- When asked "How old are you" he raises his index finger and shows it to you.
Words: (roughly in the order he first said them)
- Mama
- Dada
- Doggie
- Vaccuum (or as he says it "Va'um")
- Meow (in response to "what does a kitty say?")
- Arf (in response to "what does a doggie say?")
- Ball
- Key (means Binky)
- Key (means Goldfish cracker)
Signs: (we've been teaching him signs because they are easier to use to communicate than words at this age. Links are for the ASL version.)
- Milk
- More
- Drink
- Please -- Instead of circling his chest, he rubs the back of his head.
- Up -- Benton doesn't point, exactly, but moves his whole hand upward
- Light -- he's particularly cute when he does this one.
- Help -- seems to only want to use one hand.
- Bath -- again with the one hand thing.
- Book
- Dance -- Benton has his own sign for this. He waves his arm like "safe" in baseball...but with just one arm.
- Thank you -- He takes his hand to his mouth, but kind of leaves it there for now.
- All gone / All done -- a particularly cute one...holds his hands palms up by his head and shrugs...
Smart baby.