What a talker!

Noah Beall is a man of many words. Yes, we have been doing some sign language with him, albeit only a minimum amount because we realized that we were wasting our time with sign language early on: the kid is able to verbalize what he wants! Not kidding, he has the incredible ability to "talk" and has been doing that since he was about 8-9 months. He is a sponge; we say a word and he repeats it. Here are some of the numerous things he is saying right now (mind you, the pronunciation is what you would expect of a 1 year old!):

• "Baw" - Ball is his favorite word. He and Piper will tug over the many balls rolling around our living room and patio. Noah always wins. He will just repeat "baw" over and over again while he's playing with it. He also enjoys showing the "baw" to you. He loves to say it over and over when he's soothing himself to sleep.
• "Da-da" and "Ma-ma" - Obviously, this is what he calls us.
• "Daw" - Dog
• "E-ow" - When he sees his cat, Maria, this is what he does! It is his attempt to say "meow"
• "Oo - oo" - When I ask him what a doggie says, he says this instead of "ruff-ruff"
• "Doose" - Juice
• "Peas" - We tried to sign "please" to him over and over but he just started saying it instead! He whispers this one and it is so cute when he is begging for whatever it is you are eating and whispers "peas"
• "Gone-gone" - This means "all gone/done" or "down" or "finished." We taught him the sign for "all done" but he just now waves his hands and says "gone-gone" instead!
• "Uh-ohhhh" - Self explanatory! He loves to drop things over the side of the tub and then throw up his hands and say "uh-ohhhh."
• "Ed-owh" - "Hello." He says this one a lot right after he wakes up in the morning and is chatting to us while we change his diaper.
• "Heeeeyyyy!" - This is one of my favorites! He gives us the best greeting with this when we've been in the other room and he is seeing us for the first time in a few minutes or when he's standing and waiting in his crib for us to come get him. He does it with the biggest smile on his face too.
• "Buh-buh" - "Bye-bye." He usually does this when we are taking him up to his room for his naps. He will wave his hands towards his face while he repeats "buh-buh" many times over.

Noah is so verbal. It is fun each day to watch him learn a new word or gesture. When we were home over Christmas, my dad (Grandaddy) taught him how to snap. So, while he doesn't have the snapping sound down yet, he will rub his fingers together in great effort! He also likes to blow on things or tell you to "shhh." I have been whistling to him and he's actually been able to whistle back to me several times!