A tsunami of words

Maybe about 4 months ago or so, I was starting to get a little concerned because Tyler didn't really have a lot to say. It wasn't that he didn't make any noise - because he certainly made plenty. But, not much that really indicated he was trying to actually say any real "words"!

However, recently, my fears have been relieved a bit - because not only is he now attempting to say a whole slew of words, but he seems to picking up new ones on a daily basis!

So, just in case you meet him soon and try to have some sort of conversation, here's a little translation manual of Tyler-speak to help you understand the gibberish you get in return...

• Dah: Dog. Or it could be another animal that looks like a dog in that it walks on all fours and has fur.
• Wha-dah?: "Where is the dog?" Or more specifically, where is Loki... he isn't usually looking for Max when he says this.
  
• DAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh!: He found Loki.
• DAH!: "Max/Loki, come here!" They usually don't, since they haven't quite figured out yet that they are "Dah".
  
• Baby: Austin, or some other baby.
  
• Daddy: Daddy, or mommy, or someone else.
• Momma: Mommy, or daddy, or a picture of some other random woman.
• MOMMA!: "Mom! I want something... NOW!"
• MOMMAAaaaaaaaaaaa!: Just walked in the door, or around the corner and saw mommy.
• Wawa: Water.
• Cocka: Cookie. This could be a cookie for humans, or also a dog treat. Probably not the best word for him to be using, but unfortunately, he prefers it to any other variation on "cookie".
  
• Jue: Juice
• No, no!: Max is trying to steal some of Tyler's food.
• Amo: Elmo. Often only seen within our home on diapers. However, he did point out an Elmo towel at Toys R'Us today - transference in action. Lovely.
  
• Oh-no!: Most frequently heard when reading books on his own, accompanied by hands pressed to cheeks (think "Home Alone" movies).
• More: Possibly the most annoying word in his vocabulary, usually used within a succession of 4-5 "more" repeated concurrently with about 2 seconds separating each.
• Apple: Apple. Or applesauce. Or fruit in a cup.
• Baw: Ball or anything round.
• Ooo-ooo: Monkey. Actually, it just means he's seen a monkey - but he doesn't actually say Monkey yet, just what he knows a monkey is supposed to say.
• Woof: This one should be pretty self-explanatory. Typically said in a mocking fashion around Max or Loki.
• Chee: Cheese
• Peas: Please
• Tanku: Thank you. We're pretty proud of this one... but yes, he actually does try to say thank you (although once in awhile he does need a little extra prodding)
  
• Up: Wants to get in his chair, or be picked up, or get out of his chair, or on the bed, etc. This is his newest addition to the word library.
  
• Bobba: Bottle, as in milk bottle. This is not as commonly heard, but has occasionally slipped out.
• No: Nose.
• Eye: Eye.
• Ite: hot - even if it's not really hot.
• Mine: It belongs to Tyler.
• Cah: Car, taking a ride, or truck.
• Uh-oh: Austin just woke up or is crying.
  

These are all we could think up right now, but a warning here is that just because he doesn't say something, doesn't mean he doesn't understand it - or won't be trying to say it soon (often when you least expect it.) In fact, he's become quite the little helper around the house when you ask him for things like "Find a binky for your brother.... or Put the bottles in the sink... or Can you pick that up for me?"

At this rate, though, he'll be able to say all of those things for himself within the next month or two... That's our boy! :)

Of course, in re-reading this post, I just had to make this quick addition at the end to ask: What does it say about us that among our toddler's first set of words are the sounds a monkey makes, attempts at saying "cheese" or "cookie", and the phrase "Oh-no!"?

Scary, ain't it?