Lucy has always been a vocal little girl, nicknamed “Leather Lungs” around here — but with a few exceptions her calls haven’t usually been words of language. That’s starting to change, though, so here is an update about her complete vocabulary to date.
p{color:gray}. Photo: Lucy hugging her beloved Piggy Lou and “Ba Ba.”
There are three categories here: words she speaks, sign language she uses, and body parts “she readily identifies”:/news/2007/our-little-announcement.
*Words*
- “Barney Bear”:/news/2007/one-of-a-kind/
- Sounds like: “Ba-ba.”
- butt
- ’Nuff said.
- cookie
- This is the newest one, and it’s hilariously clear (though sometimes the “c” and “k” are more like a “g”).
- diaper
- Sounds like: “bwah-boh.”
- ding
- For our toaster oven, which has a bell that sounds just like this.
- glasses
- Sounds like: “gwah-goh.”
- hi
- This one was her first word intelligible to strangers, and she continues to say it loud and clear to family, visitors, shoppers in the grocery aisles, everywhere…. In fact, here’s some audio of her saying it:
- more
- Sounds like: “mee-mee-mee.” (This one is new, but she combines it with the sign-language for “more,” so we’re pretty sure it’s what she means.)
- nose
- Sounds like: “nah-nah-nah.” This is one of her earliest words and has been seen “on video”:/news/2007/our-little-announcement here at BNN.
- off
- Both for electronic devices as well as items of clothing. Every morning when I go in to get her up, she leaps up in her crib, points animatedly toward the baby monitor and noise machine (like the Secret Service agents in the Zapruder film), and commands, “Off! Off! Off!”
- thank you
- Sounds like: “ack oo.”
- woof-woof
- Used not just for dogs, but for any non-human, non-bug animal (including cats, pigs, ducks, squirrels, etc.).
*Signs*
all done / finished
“baby”:/news/2007/our-little-announcement
bath(time)
please
more (her favorite by far)
*Body Parts*
head
hair
ears
eyes
nose (also spoken, see above)
mouth
teeth
tongue
chin
“armpit”:/news/2007/our-little-announcement
hands
fingers
belly/bellybutton
butt
knees
toes
feet
We’ll keep you posted as as she adds more! And of course, watch for them in future BNN “videos”:/news/category/video.
the woof-woof for all non-human, non-bug animals made me laugh. For a long time with Benjamin everything in that category was “kitty”.
Charles was a boy of few words but very aural….every thing had a sound. Woof really was his word for dog for quite awhile.
Naomi is keeping us on our toes and repeats EVERYTHING we say. The boys like to say Naomi, can you say…and they end their game can you say “I am a parrot” and of course….that is exactly what we here and then Naomi says “I funny”
A great part of the journey, language! Have fun!
Wow what a vocab! Mo still just says Dada, Mama, yes (sounds like yeah), all done (or all gone) and Aaaah which is hi and bye.
He really loves his signs though. More, please, toothbrush, cheese, thank you and food. We think he can do milk too, and he tries I love you but he gives up and just waves.
I love that she is calling the toaster oven ding. Too cute!