Life Rolls On

Even if the blog has been on the quiet side, Jeremy's world is not. In fact, Jeremy is babbling more and more, with every passing day.

Many have observed how quiet Jeremy is. First, people comment on how "good-natured" he is. Then, people (usually moms) sometimes say suggestively, "He is so quiet." The few bold souls among us will be so brave as to ask, "Does he talk at all?" His pediatricians have furrowed their brows.

An early developmental assessment at seven months resulted in an expected, if inconclusive, conclusion: he should be reassessed at twelve months.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when Jeremy's babbling become more frequent and varied. It began when he began playing a tongue-sticking-out game with his Mama in which the goal is to make as many different shapes with your stuck-out tongue as possible. Bonus points if you can say "ah" while doing it. Soon after that, Jeremy started talking to himself more frequently -- when he is playing, when he is in his carseat, when he is hungry. He strings together different sounds of his own jargon. He experiments with different vocal sounds. He hums along to favorite songs.

Barb & I are estatic. Even if Jeremy doesn't have a "real" vocabulary like many one-year-olds do, it is clear to us that his word list is on the verge of being compiled. He says "og" (dog), "mamamama" when distressed, "tik" when being tickled, and "walk" (at least once) when wanting to walk with his Mommy. Even more exciting, he is responding appropriately to certain words-only questions. With every passing day, our concerns about Jeremy's developmental capacity are evaporating, and the possibilities for his life are blooming.