kəˌmyo͞oniˈkāSHən

com·mu·ni·ca·tion/kəˌmyo͞oniˈkāSHən/- Noun

 - "The imparting or exchanging of information or news."

      A fun, frustrating, and often-hilarious aspect of life in our home lately, is communicating with our 14-month-old boy, Jett. He has become a chatterbox and I love the way he’ll give you a serious look, like he’s about to tell you something really important, then a speech of pure gibberish will pour from his mouth. Then, of course, he’ll wait for your response. Hah!  He can get very frustrated when you don’t know what he’s trying to tell you or get you to do for him. Daily, it seems, he does use more and more sounds and gestures to let us know what he wants.

      Here is a list of Jett’s “vocabulary” (we use that term loosely) with their intended meanings.

      1.     “Dada” 

-                    As you may have guessed, this usually means “dad”. However, when said repeatedly, with a range of intonation, it can become an entire conversation, complete with facial expressions and gestures. “Dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-da-da, dada?

      2.     “Mama” 

-                    Yes, sometimes this does actually mean, “mom”. However, we have many meanings here, (depending on context, tone, etc.) so we will have to resort to the a-b method.

a.     When a somewhat desperate tone is applied to “mama” it can mean “help me” or “pick me up”.

b.     When Jett’s sitting in his high chair for a meal and his tray is looking increasingly empty, “mama” can be interpreted as “more, more” (that is, only IF there is not a pile of food on the floor)

c.      Probably the most commonly applied interpretation of “mama” is when Jett is trying to let you know that he wants “milk”. Nothing but straight-from-the-cow whole milk for this little hombre, and he LOVES his milk. He drinks at least a litre a day!

      3.     “Boo”

-                    This is how we say “moo”. Cows are actually referred to as “boos” and Jett loves to run towards the barn whenever he can. He’s not afraid of them at all!

    

      4.     “Baaa”

-                    Yes, this does refer to the sound a sheep makes. We have several books with sheep protagonists. Thank you, Sandra Boynton.

      5.     “Oooof” (apply a husky bass sound to your voice while pronouncing)

-                    This is our dog sound and we hear it several times a day. When Jett sees our dogs, Captain and Hurricane, he greets them with an “Ooof!” He will also make the sound when he hears any dog barking. He must have a keen sense of hearing because Jett will react to barking that is coming from quite far away.

      6.     “Eeeee” (In a high-pitched squeal)

-                    Cat noise. I actually love this one. He made it on his own because he has interacted with the cats in our barn and I guess this is the sound he thinks they make.

      7.     “Duck”

-                    Duck sound. I’ll bet you didn’t know that ducks say, “duck” :)

      8.     “Duh”

-                    “Done!” When Jett is sitting in his chair and seems to be done eating , I will ask him, “Are you all done?” and if he is, he responds with a strong, “Duhhh!” (Like, “Duh, mom”.)

      9.     “Bah”

-                    Not to be confused with the sheep sound :) this one actually refers to a ball. Jett will say “Bah, bah” as he chases and throws balls, which is one of his favorite pass-times.

      10. “Urghhhh” (low, and husky bass sound)

-                    This is the sound that we apply to trucks and tractors. Jett LOVES big machines. When we’re driving on the highway, Mitch and I get a kick out of how Jett will notice the semis we drive by and make his “Urghhhh” sound.

      11. The one hand salute

-                    I realize that this isn’t a sound, but it’s Jett’s greeting. He understands that it is appropriate to wave as a greeting to someone who is coming or going, and it is awesome.

      12. The forward hand-cross

-                    While he may not say, “NO”, yet. He can express it very well. He will shake his head cross his arms in a waving motion and maybe even throw something if he doesn’t want it.

      13. Kisses (again, not a sound... although he does make a "mwaa" sound when he blows kisses)

-                    For all of the energy my son exhumes, he can also be very affectionate ( I love this). He often gives “kisses” (a juicy open-mouthed lean in your direction). He can also blow kisses. He puts the back of his hand in his mouth, then pops it out and grins in your direction.

      Jett makes many more noises through out each day, but many have yet to be properly interpreted. He also giggles for most of the day as he runs, jumps, dances, and now climbs everything. If his chatter now is any indication of how he will converse with me in the future, I may be in trouble!