Like a kick in the belly

Another area of development I didn't hit on a few days ago is Tye's speech.  It's a topic all it's own.  Because Tye babbles so often, she often says words we recognize.  The challenge becomes knowing whether her sounds are babbles or real, intentional words.  Of course, as excited new parents, I think our tendency is to hear words when there are really just babbles emerging playfully.  


While in Dallas, Tyler's grandmother thought she heard Tye say "Mama."  Then a couple days later, my mom thought she heard Tye say "Mama."  As fate would have it, I missed both of those utterances, but perhaps for the better.  A day later, as Tye was seated on her potty for a "pottytunity,"  she squirmed a little and said very clearly, "Ah da."  Was that "All done," the phrase we practice every time she sits?  The next morning, as we walked into the living room and Tye looked at Mico, she said "Da."  Dog?  


The uncertainty reminds me very much of my early pregnancy.  I wanted so desperately to feel Tye kicking me with her miniscule feet, just to feel some reassurance that she was really there and really growing within my belly.  I felt tiny bits of movement, but I couldn't be sure if they were her or not.  I had nothing to which I could compare those feelings, so I didn't know if I was simply feeling digestion occurring as it always had, or if I was feeling the new life within me.  Eventually, I felt a kick, strong and unmistakable.  When I finally knew what her movements felt like, I realized that I had been feeling them for a week at least without knowing for sure it was her.  


Waiting for words from Tye is like waiting for kicks from her over a year ago.  Are those really intentional words, or just timely babble?  Today, we heard our first definite word from Tye- twice.  This morning when Tyler walked in the door from his run, Tye looked at him, smiled, and said with great purpose and clarity, "Da da."  Later, when she and I walked into the living room after a diaper change, Tyler made a silly face to her and she once again said "Da da."  Both times, the intent clearly matched the sound that emerged from her tiny little mouth.  


Of course, Tyler couldn't be happier to be on the receiving end of Tye's first word.  With so much of Tye's growth directly related to me as her mother- like those first kicks only I could feel initially- watching Tyler take part in such an important first was really special.