Words to live by

As we approached the 1 year visit with the pediatrician, we prepared as though we were taking an exam.  We remembered the general questions, knew Anna had grown and gained and was walking around her 9 month visit so... no worries.  Well, except for that one question, "Does she say any real words yet?"  Now, for the third time we've been in a quandary.  Do they count if we know what she's saying?  or.... if she uses the same "words" for the same things consistently?  or... does the doctor, with all her expertise and trained ear, need to understand her?  Well, we could have a dozen more and never remember the answer or resolve the issue.  Ultimately the doctor wants to be sure she is building her language and developing social and communication skills.  In the event that Mom and Dad hem and haw too much or glance at each other for help without getting anywhere near a definite answer, the doctor reverts to "Does she babble and make sounds, show emotion/respond to faces, etc.  Our dear doctor knows us well enough now that she laughs as we transform to schoolchildren searching to give only the CORRECT answer and mercifully cuts us some slack.

Eventually we came up with some version of this report.  Anna says "Hi", "Dada" and "Bye bye" (which she also says at the door OR when one of us puts our shoes on and grabs the keys).  She says "Baby" clear as a bell and says "wawa" for anything to drink.  This includes our giant cups of Coke and Iced Tea but of course she only drinks milk and water (doesn't care about juice).  She says something that sounds remarkably like "Hallie" and it is always directed at her sister.  As previously mentioned, she doesn't use her baby signs - she just opens her book and says the names of the object on the page. Well, except for dog and cat that is, as she pants and mews respectively.  It should also be mentioned that she clearly says "No" in an incredibly charming, albeit forceful, way.  

Alas, though hat and head sound virtually identical to the ear and the difference between ball, box and block are subtle to the point of genius, with the help of gestures and faces, Anna gets her needs met and expresses herself to us and a few select others who are worthy of her attention (hang in there, she might like the rest of you someday)  If you were 1 and had to wait for someone to feed you and open the doors for you these few words would be those you lived by too.