Will wasn’t babbling. I was concerned. At a recent 9 month appointment, the doctor even asked me if he was copying our sounds. I had to say no. I broke down. At least on the inside.
Then all of a sudden this past week, it started. It was like a key was turned and opened the language door into his brain. He decided to have complete conversations with me….he sounded like he was telling a story….just one that I couldn’t understand. It was in that foreign infant language full of floppy tongue noises and repetitive airbubbles and drooly lips wiggling gutteral bits in and out of his mouth.
Two days ago, I was laying him down to change his diaper (which tends to be an experience kin to wrestling a greased piglet) and I am please to announce that he said his first words. Not just one. Four.
He would repeat me perfectly.
I was certain that it was just a case of copycatting until five minutes later. Jeremy came upstairs and I was excited to tell him all about our wordy little boy. That’s when he proved it was more…that he knew what he was saying…
He would hug me and say mama. He would wave while saying Hi. He would climb up Jeremy’s leg as he said Dada. And he would play with the little eggs in the nest that are hotglued to his diaper wipes box.
Needless to say, we are already filling out his application to Harvard. At this rate, he’ll be ready to read his dissertation by August.
Precious! It is amazing what babies can understand and communicate at such a young age. I know you are one proud mama!
-I loved the greased piglet reference 🙂
So cute! Kids are so funny – my daughter has always done things when she was ready and not a second sooner. Will was just waiting for the right time!
Your little family brightens my Friday…
It is amazing what a child can learn in their first few years! My 13 month old is babbling like crazy, but I still am not convinced he fully knows that I am mama! The sounds are just adorable! ENJOY!
They have a way of giving us what we need at the exact moment we need it, don’t they?
That is cute and s0 reminiscent of our experience. Our oldest son was 2 and not really talking. He said words and our pediatrician assured us that he was within the normal range for development. But I was still concerned. I asked my father-in-law, also a pediatrican, “Carter is still speaking paragraphs of baby Dutch. He’s two. Should I be worried?” (We called it Dutch because a friend commented on how it sounded like he was saying something you should understand but when you actually paid attention, you couldn’t understand it at all. Like Dutch.) He said my husband had been the same way until he was 2 and a 1/2 and then he started talking. I was skeptical. But, just like your Will, a door opened and he started talking. And talking. And talking some more. He’s still a talker and he’s almost 8. So, you may want to invest in some Bose noise-blocking headphones.
But for now, enjoy that sweet little voice and precious babbling.
Ohhh….how exciting!! Bravo, Will!
that’s adorable. I hope my kids are as cute as Will! (and as smart!)
Some kids are just like that – they save it up until they’ve got tons to say. Soon enough, you’ll be like my Dad saying, “Remember when we wondered what her voice would sound like?” (as I babbled on endlessly and he wondered what QUIET sounded like).
Oh my gosh, Katie! I don’t think he can get any cuter!! So precious. I can’t wait until my little girl starts talking. What a fun time!
Woo hoo! How exciting! TGIF! xo
That is so awesome! I just had my first and it’s so fun to see just how fast they grown and learn! I can’t wait to hear his voice (although we already know he is opinionated so maybe we should count our blessings!) Your son is gorgeous!
First of all, I LOVE YOUR BLOG! (All Caps were necessary to convey the sentiment correctly!) I’m always happy to see a new post pop up in my Reader. Secondly, of course your son is brilliant – look how smart and witty his mommy is! My son (who is now 7) was always a bit behind the doctor’s preferred timeline for benchmarks like this but it was never a big cause for concern for them and sure enough now he’s a straight A student and has a better vocabulary than half the adults I know 😉 Boys are laid back…they’ll get to it when they get to it!
Yah! Go Will!!
I was glad to read that changing Will’s diaper sounds much like changing our 9 month old’s! (Noel 🙂 your description of a greased piglet..perfection!
You’ve inspired me to teach some words..rather than just babble! thanks! 🙂
so sweet
It is so amazing when they start talking! At least till the back talk starts. My daughter talked very early (and with attitude) whereas my son held off till he was almost 2 yrs old. I was so worried, but like Will he woke up one day and hasn’t stopped since!
Will is such a cute little boy! This post made me smile. Happy Friday!
That is such a cute story. Congrats and all the best for Harvard,
My first word was “cook” as in cookie- I knew where my priorities were! ha
http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
So fun! But can we go back to the statement about eggs . . .in a nest . . .on your diaper wipes?! I have a 7 month old and a 3 year old and don’t think I’ve seen that diaper wipes box in the aisles of Target – picture please!! 🙂
We have a just turned 10 month old and he just started chatting last month too. Every baby is different so don’t think about these things too much. Advice I got from a friend who does child development is when you are home with baby just talk constantly. I think I must sound like a total freak only I narrate everything now and it seems like he likes it!
We need video!
So cute! My mom said I did the same thing – I didn’t talk until I could REALLY talk. I guess I just wanted to make sure I could get my point across first. 🙂
Will is adorable!
Glad to know I’m not the only one, my son, Dallas is almost 9 months and really only says dada…when he’s upset:( so we will keep working on it and waiting for that door to open!
Yayayay Will! That fun news made my week! Sooooo cute and smart! I guess some kids just want to think about talking for awhile, before doing it? To the extreme, one of my best friends was about 3 (i think) when he first started talking. His parents were really worried about him, until one day, in front of all the extended family, he said “Can I have a drink?” I guess being thirsty requires you to break your vow of silence. Same with my RA in college. She wouldn”t talk either until she was about that age as well. One day, she told her sister, “[Natalie?], you are agitating me!!”
Woo hoo Will 🙂 Pretty soon he’ll be talking non-stop!
Wow!!! He was just waiting until the right moment!!! So cute 🙂
That’s so funny! After mama and dada, Hi was also my little boys first word too. I thought it was so cute because I don’t know very many babies that say Hi as one of their first words. He says it to everyone, everywhere we go.
Will is definitely a genius in the making though. Mine didn’t say Hi until 15 months!
I love that egg was in the top 4!
Will looks just like Jeremy in that photo!
I second that motion.
Ya know…. I don’t think we can believe you unless you post a video 😀
That’s wonderful!
P.S. Don’t feel discouraged by the “timelines” they have for babies’ progress. We have two very bright yet very different children. They each have reached milestones at very different times in their lives and that’s ok! Each child is different!
I think our babies might be brothers from other mothers!! Rhys, my son, is approaching 8 months old and seriously, when you share little bits about Will I feel like I’m reading my own thoughts! I too am constantly worried about his “milestone” acheivements like babbling and mimicking – or complete lack there of, his non-existint uninterrupted sleep, breastfeeding woes, etc. Seriously, I cried the first time he giggled for a prolong amount of time, it took 7 months!
You are doing a great job, thank you for sharing and giving me hope that I too will get that first “Mama” & a hug! Oh I can’t wait. I frickin deserve it already. 😉
Funny how it happens so suddenly! Always *try* to keep in mind that there is a considerable window of “normal” for children in early stages of development 🙂 I know that is so much easier said than done (like when I thought my first child was blind because he wasn’t tracking yet… yeah… wish I were kidding about that… he was doing it within a week of that alarmist thought). It just gets better and better though! What a precious boy you have!!
that is awesome. gotta love a carb-lovin-kid 🙂
xo – kb
Congrats! You must post video. Baby talk is the best.
oh yeah….and then some!
xo – bowergirl
That’s so awesome! My little girl (now 2.5) said a few words at right around his age and then stayed quiet for a while. We were beginning to be concerned (much like it sounds you were) until she started stringing together full sentences just before her 2nd birthday. It almost felt like she was saving everything up until she could say exactly what she wanted. I’m sure Will will be doing the same soon enough!
Yay Will! That’s so exciting for you Katie. Although, like a previous commenter mentioned, it won’t be long until you wish he would just be quiet for 5mins! He’ll be guest posting before you know it (LOL) I noticed a link in your side bar for a signing book/dvd..I really recommend these. We have used baby signing with our 3 kids & it really helps to communicate with them. I know what you mean about Will having a conversation, that’s what we noticed with our 1st & as soon as we started signing we could understand he was saying all this stuff to us! Also, some people will tell you signing to him will slow his speech. However, those experienced in signing will disagree & tell you it actually aids their speech as they comprehend more – I would totally subscribe to this second train of thought. Good luck with now experiencing more of the world through Will’s eyes.
Yay! Just remember, babies do things in their own time. When he’s ready, he’ll do it! 🙂
precious boy!!
I remember waiting for those first words so eager to hear them talk. It’s musical!
Now at 4.5 we can’t figure out how to get them to hush. Talking non stop. 🙂
We’ve been signing to him for A LONG time…but he is not great with his fine motor skills…he just started doing the pincer grab in the last few months (where the book said he would start probably a while back)….but we just figure that he’s pretty advanced with other areas (like gross motor skills) so it’s definitely a trade off. Considering I didn’t crawl until well after I turned 1, I was super happy that he even put pressure on his feet…and I am sure that the signing will start one day…maybe after he can speak in full sentences 🙂
xo – kb
As a Mama to a little girl who did not do any of this till the age of three you made my heart smile 🙂 I love to hear of little ones doing such amazing things you are truly blessed!
How exciting to hear those first words!!! Especially after having to experience that awful sinking feeling at the doctor’s office just a few days before! Your blog is adorable by the way, don’t read to many but yours I check out again and again, so cute!
Yay! What a smart little boy- and what a gift he gave you at just the right time! I was with a friend and her little boy (years ago) at McD’s and I taught him his first word- coke! Ha, my friend wasn’t terribly happy with me! 🙂
Yep, my husband’s uncle didn’t say a single word until he was 3, then he started speaking in complete sentences. He didn’t want to try it until he knew he could succeed, I guess! Now he’s a lobbyist and talks for a living, besides being absolutely brilliant and holding several degrees. It must be really hard to trust your kids — as I special ed teacher, I would have been freaking out!
Will is too cute! Glad he started being so wordy! 🙂
yay yay yay Will you’re brilliant!
Oh Katie, I cannot tell you how happy I am to read this post!! Our baby boy is turning 8 months this week and he does not babble or mimic us either. His pediatrician sent us to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to have his hearing tested and the results were exactly what I thought they would be – his hearing is just fine. My mother keeps telling me that he’s “working on other things right now” and that he’ll start talking when he gets to it, but just like any other mother, I worry.
I guess Will was working on other things all this time too, and he gives me hope that our little guy will surprise us one day too. 🙂
Looooove his little grin, my 10 month old only has his two teeth on the bottom!
Too funny! That’s the story for me, too. I only said “no” until I was 3, when I asked for a drink of water. 40+ years later and I haven’t shut up yet…l