Okay, Henry didn't actually say his first words. But you know that anecdote about monkeys in a room writing Shakespeare? Basically that is what happened. I was giving Henry a bath and he was chewing on a rubber ducky and said, "Da da da da DUCK!"
Believe me, I would be the first to proclaim that he is incredibly gifted, and can speak before 6 months of age, but this was not a declaration that he was chewing on a duck, but just a funny coincidence. But he definitely said DUCK as clear as day. And he almost shouted it, like a proclamation.
Speaking of his speaking, just in the last 2-3 days, Henry has started repeating his sounds, (as in the "Da da da da Duck" example). As I learned in Art History, when babies change from random babbling ("ah ga goo....") but start doubling, it is a stage of learning and shows that they are trying "talk" or make meaning out of their sounds. (Why did I learn this in Art History, you ask? Because it is partially how the Dada art movement got it's name. Dadaism is the making of artistic meaning out of everyday objects-- a tooth brush, a bicycle wheel...). Anyway, so far, Henry seems to say Ma ma ma ma ma ma and Ba ba ba ba ba. Again, I'd be the first to tell you if he was saying "Ma ma" with any intent of talking to me, but it really isn't that yet. Anyway I'm hoping that his first real word will be "Papa," because I think it will really give Raph a complex if Henry says "Mama" first.
