Find out who or what won the "Be Natalie's First Word Contest"Every parent anxiously awaits their child's first word. It's like waiting for a surprise present, never knowing when it will arrive.
For months I'd been hoping Natalie's adorable little babbles would turn into adorable little words. Even at four months I got excited when she babbled "Ma-ma" in the middle of the night. Both because I naively thought she might be an even bigger super-genius-baby than already forecast, and because it was "Ma-ma" she was calling for in the middle of the night. But that, and many other babbles, were really just incoherent baby jargon, or since she is a super-genius, a new language altogether.
Recently, however, she was clearly on the verge of putting it together. Babbling more structured sounds and pointing to things before making her exclamations. For example, she rambled "Dada" several times in succession rather than a long "Dadadadadada." Of course, she was screaming "Dada!" while looking at the cat but the tools were in place.
Then, while we were in Washington D.C., it happened. I can't point to a specific instance, but Sara and I slowly came to the realization that she was linking the specific word with the specific object.
So what was her magical first word?
Let's break down the contenders before we reveal the answer:
Dada:
Why Dada could be her first word: I spend all day with her and make it a point to get happy and jump around when she says "Dada." This happy-jumping, it should be noted, looks totally tough and not at all lame...Plus after 3,204,402 diapers, she owes me.
Why Dada wouldn't be her first word: She likes to babble the sound a lot and uses it to describe various things like the dog, diapers, and the milkman...
Mama:
Why Mama could be her first word: Every day when Sara gets home we get excited and say "Mama's home!" Plus after putting up with daddy complaining about 3,204,402 diaper changes, Sara deserved it.
Why Mama wouldn't be her first word: Linguists claim "Dada" is the easier sound to make and most babies, to the dismay of moms everywhere, say Dada first. Plus dads are just so much cooler...
Doggie or Kitty:
Why Doggie or Kitty could be her first word: She loves Doggie and Kitty. She laughs at them, pulls their hair, and climbs all over them.
Why Doggie or Kitty wouldn't be her first word: While she makes the sounds necessary for Doggie, she really doesn't make the G sound as much as she used to and she hasn't developed the capacity for "Ki" or "Tee" yet, though she does sometimes screech eee-eee, which is pretty close.
Red Sox:
Why Red Sox could be her first word: From the time she was a tiny-peanut, incapable of vocalizing anything but wails and cries, (which she did manage to vocalize often) she's heard Red Sox games on TV.
Why Red Sox wouldn't be her first word: Like most Red Sox fans she may want to perfect her "Yankees Suck" chant first.
So, what was her first word? To the delight of her mother, and despite a bit of an ego blow, her father, "Mama"
She now readily points to Sara and yells "Mama!" She has also learned that the door opening every afternoon signals "Mama's" return, turning to me recently with a look of glee when it happened and squealing, "Mamaaaaa!"
Quickly after mastering her first word Natalie, like an baby super-genius, conquered her second.
"Hat."
Yes..."Hat"
Why "hat" you ask? Natalie has been obsessed with my grungy old Red Sox hat since she was able to hold it. She says the word when she sees any baseball cap, though she doesn't yet understand other styles of caps are "hats." She did point to the TV screen recently, look at Randy Johnson who was pitching, and yell "hat." She then followed with, "And my isn't he an attractive young gentlemen."
She is getting close to saying Dada consistently but still can't get the phonetic distinction between "Dada" and "Doggie."
I'm not too worried, I'm just happy she is saying something and lighting up our eyes and hearts every time she does. I may have to wait a few months for "Dada" and a few more for "Yankees Suck" but I'm quite content to listen to her melodious experimentation until then.
For months I'd been hoping Natalie's adorable little babbles would turn into adorable little words. Even at four months I got excited when she babbled "Ma-ma" in the middle of the night. Both because I naively thought she might be an even bigger super-genius-baby than already forecast, and because it was "Ma-ma" she was calling for in the middle of the night. But that, and many other babbles, were really just incoherent baby jargon, or since she is a super-genius, a new language altogether.
Recently, however, she was clearly on the verge of putting it together. Babbling more structured sounds and pointing to things before making her exclamations. For example, she rambled "Dada" several times in succession rather than a long "Dadadadadada." Of course, she was screaming "Dada!" while looking at the cat but the tools were in place.
Then, while we were in Washington D.C., it happened. I can't point to a specific instance, but Sara and I slowly came to the realization that she was linking the specific word with the specific object.
So what was her magical first word?
Let's break down the contenders before we reveal the answer:
Dada:
Why Dada could be her first word: I spend all day with her and make it a point to get happy and jump around when she says "Dada." This happy-jumping, it should be noted, looks totally tough and not at all lame...Plus after 3,204,402 diapers, she owes me.
Why Dada wouldn't be her first word: She likes to babble the sound a lot and uses it to describe various things like the dog, diapers, and the milkman...
Mama:
Why Mama could be her first word: Every day when Sara gets home we get excited and say "Mama's home!" Plus after putting up with daddy complaining about 3,204,402 diaper changes, Sara deserved it.
Why Mama wouldn't be her first word: Linguists claim "Dada" is the easier sound to make and most babies, to the dismay of moms everywhere, say Dada first. Plus dads are just so much cooler...
Doggie or Kitty:
Why Doggie or Kitty could be her first word: She loves Doggie and Kitty. She laughs at them, pulls their hair, and climbs all over them.
Why Doggie or Kitty wouldn't be her first word: While she makes the sounds necessary for Doggie, she really doesn't make the G sound as much as she used to and she hasn't developed the capacity for "Ki" or "Tee" yet, though she does sometimes screech eee-eee, which is pretty close.
Red Sox:
Why Red Sox could be her first word: From the time she was a tiny-peanut, incapable of vocalizing anything but wails and cries, (which she did manage to vocalize often) she's heard Red Sox games on TV.
Why Red Sox wouldn't be her first word: Like most Red Sox fans she may want to perfect her "Yankees Suck" chant first.
So, what was her first word? To the delight of her mother, and despite a bit of an ego blow, her father, "Mama"
She now readily points to Sara and yells "Mama!" She has also learned that the door opening every afternoon signals "Mama's" return, turning to me recently with a look of glee when it happened and squealing, "Mamaaaaa!"
Quickly after mastering her first word Natalie, like an baby super-genius, conquered her second.
"Hat."
Yes..."Hat"
Why "hat" you ask? Natalie has been obsessed with my grungy old Red Sox hat since she was able to hold it. She says the word when she sees any baseball cap, though she doesn't yet understand other styles of caps are "hats." She did point to the TV screen recently, look at Randy Johnson who was pitching, and yell "hat." She then followed with, "And my isn't he an attractive young gentlemen."
She is getting close to saying Dada consistently but still can't get the phonetic distinction between "Dada" and "Doggie."
I'm not too worried, I'm just happy she is saying something and lighting up our eyes and hearts every time she does. I may have to wait a few months for "Dada" and a few more for "Yankees Suck" but I'm quite content to listen to her melodious experimentation until then.
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