Hello from BabyCenter!

The folks at Babycenter.com say that "Ball," "dog," and "cat" may be your child's favorite — and only — words at this point, though some early talkers may have as many as 20 words in their vocabulary. This information is for a 14 month old. Obviously, then, Harry is an early talker. Cool! He may have waited to start walking at a textbook age of 13 months, but he definitely knows at least 20 words. If your toddler can use the words she knows at the right time, that's a sure sign she's beginning to articulate what's going on around her. Oh, he knows what’s going on around him. I just hope Kevin and I are smart enough to direct his powers towards the side of good (we’ve not been so lucky with Bailey. She uses her skills primarily to steal pizza). For instance, if you pass a dog on the sidewalk and she points and calls out "Dog!" in delight, cheer her on. Though my dad will not admit it, Kevin and I each heard Harry say “Hi, PopPop” a couple of times while talking to my dad on the phone the other day. He says things like “Milk” for his milk. He’s been saying “Night, night” in association with his crib for some time (usually with a “No” in front of it). He also pointed to the river the other day and the golf course and said “River” and “Golf.” I should think Grandpa Magoo would be please about the latter. Harry usually gets, um, antsy as we go through the construction and traffic delays in Old Town, so I started pointing out familiar spots to show him we were close to home. He then would point to the river and say “river,” and the golf course and say “golf.” I was quite pleased. Don't be discouraged if she sometimes uses the same word for other furry animals with tails. That's an indication that she's learning to group things together. Harry definitely says “Hi” to everyone…he also sometimes says hi to stop signs and trashcans as we pass. Just say the correct word in a matter-of-fact tone ("That's a horse, honey. Horses are bigger than dogs"), and she'll soon pick up on it too. In fact, pointing to an object and saying its name out loud is a great way for you to help build your toddler's vocabulary and comprehension. We are working on this a little bit…but I confess, I don’t see the point in a complete knowledge of farm animals. Having him sit in the executive chair and type on the keyboard seems far more practical. Soon, I can train him on my computer system, and he can do my typing while I lounge on the porch swing with a tasty beverage that may or may not include Kettle One.