Today my daughter clearly said, "Mama" when I came in her room after her first nap of the day. She's been messing around with those syllables a lot but this is the first time that it's been for-sure directed at me. She's about 10-and-a-half months old, which makes her far younger than my son in terms of communication firsts. She's actually been saying "M-m-m-m" off and on when she's been crying and wanting me but this is the first time to my knowledge that more than the M sound was associcated with my presence. Too cool!

I also think she said, "Hi" back to me when I got her out of the car, but of course that could have been a coincidence.

She also does all these cute things like copying you when you wiggle your tongue around and wave, both at people and at herself in the mirror. She does it with a big, mouth-open grin too. She's very into interaction, which is really neat.

We have a little thing about her trying to go get in the dogs' water bowl and me trying to scoop her up in time. Last night she sat waiting with this expectant smile on her face for me to notice that she was in the doorway. As soon as we made eye contact and I said, "No no" she dashed off, crawling like a mad woman. What a hoot!

I might have a little monster on my hands later, but right now she's too cute! And she even usually seems to stop doing things when I say "No," which is a new experience for me. My son STILL doesn't do that unless I explain why it's a no and what will happen if he does it anyway. He makes me write it out in contract form and sign it in triplicate. Pretty much.

Maybe I should have titled this "Mommy gush post" but really, it's about the real beginning of my two-way communication with my daughter. Yay!