Ca? Dg! Ommy!

Jack's been talking a lot these days. A rough glossary of most frequently heard words follows...

Ca?: Unless by "Ca?" he means "air," this one seems to be kind of a catch all. He uses it when pointing to things in his room, the kitchen, the living room, the car, etc. It's possible it refers to his cup, for water or milk, since there are certainly times he uses it and points when he wants those things. However, he also uses it when those things are directly in front of him, suggesting he might have something else in mind. Cola? If so, he's not going to get that one for a little bit yet. I'm thinking that ultimately "Ca?" is kind of a variation on "Da," which was his catch-all for everything when he was about 10-12 months old. At first there was all this excitement - He's calling me "Da"! That's my boy! - which was quickly doused when he used it just as frequently while pointing at a banana peel or his Thomas the Tank Engine. Then we decided he meant, "What's that?", but I'm not sure we can say the same thing with "Ca." So I'm going to just go with, it's the easiest thing for him to say right now, and he uses it to get our attention.

Note: Emily tells me that when they're in the car, she'll sometimes point out other cars, and he'll say "Ca!" So MAYBE he's using the word to describe "cars" and when he points at random things in our house, he's actually indicating the street. More information on the mystery will be provided as it becomes available.

Dg!: Not that Charlie cares, but our son has deduced what species he is. If we're reading a book that has a dog in it, or playing with his little toy farm dog, Jack will point in Charlie's direction - typically in the same room, but sometimes a more distant location - and say "Dg!"

Ahmmy!: This one is typically of the plaintive variety, and it is probably him calling for his Mommy. The uncertainty comes from the fact that I call Emily "Emmy," often in his presence - I need to work more on calling her Mommy, perhaps - so we can't be positive he's saying "Mommy" and not "Emmy." But "Mommy" makes more sense so we're going with that.

Hat: It's been cold this winter and he's got his little winter hat, with chin straps so he can't take it off. (He has a sun hat and baseball hat which he typically removes at the first opportunity.) So when we're getting him ready to go out, he'll bring his hand or hands up to the side of his head and say "Hat!" So there you go.

Nana: Not his Grandma, but his favorite breakfast food. Although even he hasn't been as excited about bananas of late...the novelty, perhaps, has passed somewhat.

Ahmacah: I...just have no idea. "I'm a car"? A lesser-known Greek Pharaoh he heard referenced in a "Dora the Explorer" episode we surfed by the other idea? Arnold Schwarzenegger shopping at Office Depot? ("Ah macah! Ah need to buy ah macah for mah drah erasah boahd!") No clue. NOTE: Sometimes it's a question: "Ahmacah?" Others a statement: "Ahmacah!" Occasionally it sounds like "AmBAHcah." I'm buying a car?

Shhhh: Emily tells me she's heard this one. I haven't. Perhaps he picks it up subconsciously from us talking to each other and to Charlie after he goes to bed at night. "Shhhh! Don't open those crackers now!" "Shhhh! Must you scratch at your collar right outside his door?" "Shhhh! I think I heard him about to wake up...."

Hiiiiii! (Accompanied by big smile): Jack says Hi to us. And Charlie. And to others, on occasion. "Hi!" And then, quite pleased with himself: "Hi!" That one's a lot of fun. Hi, Jack.