Words With Friends

The language light bulb went on over Henry's head this week.  After Henry's birthday I put away "What To Expect The First Year" and started "What To Expect: The Toddler Years."  The first section said my toddler could probably understand much of what we tell him, follow simple instructions, and say a few words.  When I read it three weeks ago, Henry couldn't do any of those things.  He didn't use any words consistently enough that we could be sure what he meant, and though he seemed generally aware that we were talking to him, it was pretty clear that we sounded to him like Charlie Brown's teacher.  Then just a week ago he started really paying attention when we talked, like he finally realized that those noises we kept making actually meant something. 

He now has five identifiable words:
Hi! -- repeated about five thousand times a day, complete with giant smile
Da-ee -- refers to both Karl (daddy) and Izzy (doggie)
Ock -- sock
No -- no and nose
Dat -- that (usually combined with emphatic pointing at the object he wants)

He will (sometimes) play along with our suggestions -- especially cute are when we tell him to dance, and he starts bopping up and down; and when we ask him, "where's your nose?" and he rams his finger in his nostril, grins, and shouts "nooooooooooose!"

Now that he gets the concept and is paying attention, I suspect he'll start adding new words rapidly.  I'm really looking forward to hearing what's going on in his head -- though our friends with older kids say that by this time next year, we'll just want him to shhhhhhhhh already.