Speech

For about the last week, I've been telling Reuel very sheepishly that I *thiiiink* Asher might be saying his first words.  But then my better judgment would kick in and I was pretty sure I was just imagining it.  Today, it was absolutely undeniable!!  I can confidently say he's said his first words.  What a surprise!  He is so completely physical and active, and you know what 'they' say...more physical boys often put speech on the back-burner for a while.  Also, I hear that 2nd boys don't speak very soon.  Well, Asher beat Owen!  Owen's first word was right at a year, and Asher's is now just shy of 11 months.  (Of course, maybe I know what I'm looking for a little better this time.)  Enough prelude...after I picked Asher up from his high chair and he put his right arm up in the air, waved his little hand, looked me in the eye and very clearly said, 'Ah-duh!'  That's half of the sign language for 'all done'.  And those are exactly the sounds I've been suspecting he's been working on.  Now, something's a bit fishy.  Aren't two-syllable and two-word sounds not until around 2yrs?!  I wonder if this is really speech, or just pure mimicry (what's the difference at this age?).  Anyway, I'm 100% sure that's what he said.  So we'll see if it's a one-sound wonder, or if he keeps at it with other words too.

Asher's brain must be doing a little development-explosion this week.  He is CRAZY!!  He is into absolutely everything, pulling down anything he can touch, crawling around unstoppably, I can barely physically pin him down to change his diaper (the last one's nothing new, but it's especially bad this week).  He will not stay seated in the bath, is pulling up trying to stand up, then slipping, I'm trying to hold him and wash him and he's sliding all over the place and flailing because he wants to stand up.  Today in the bath with Owen, Asher got his first experience of a bubble bath.  He was so intrigued by this weird stuff that he just kept bending forward at the waist and sticking his whole face into the bubbles/water and coming up covered.  Owen was in stitches and kept saying, 'Asher, you have a bubble beard!'  Asher spent the whole bath dipping his face, I was shocked he didn't suck water into his nose.  He has gotten quite a sense of humor and Owen's daily antics also get him belly-giggling all the time.  Owen and Asher reminded me of Deb and I once this week because they both got laughing so hard they could hardly stop and were panting after their little laughing attack.  One of the things that gets him going is holding a penny-whistle type toy and putting it into Owen's mouth to blow it.  Then mine, then daddy's.  He really gets the giggles over that.  Also this week Asher is balancing on his feet a lot before dropping down to his rear.  I think maybe all of the week's excitement might be prelude to some first steps.  We'll see!