First Words

Sarah said her first, real, honest-to-goodness word last week.

I mean, she's been babbling and making sounds (that I wishfully interpreted as 'mama') for a while now, but this was different. Language is a funny thing. See, Sarah has been talking for a long time now, at least as far as she saw it. The rest of us just didn't understand her. She finally figured out though, that she had to put together sounds that everyone else could comprehend. Because language isn't just about words, it's about being understood.

What I love about babies and kids is how they never do anything halfway. She had to make such an effort to say that one word. Her face scrunched up, and her lips pursed, "Puuuhh....Puuuhh.....Puuuhhppyyy." Puppy.

Her first word. She had communicated, and she knew it.

The way her face lit up was worth a million dollars.