Our family game, and other Tali-isms

Talia has invented a family game. (This was actually a couple of months ago, but I never blogged about it...and it's so cute!) The game goes like this: We're all sitting at the dinner table and Tali raises both hands straight above her head. She looks around expectantly. Everyone is supposed to drop everything to copy her. Then with a pleased expression she looks around as if to say, "look what I did!"

Another game my little girl loves is peek-a-boo. She likes it best when she initiates it. Often when I am changing her diaper both hands will grasp the "flap" of her onesie, which is pulled up around her middle, and pull it up over her face. Then with great flourish and an expectant grin she pulls it down again. "Peek-a-boo!" I say. She responds with wildly flailing arms and a belly laugh that melts me every time! This little girl is definitely a social creature.

I am also happy to report that Talia has officially uttered her first word. And of course it is..."Daddy!" We have suspected that she knew what "da-da" meant for a few weeks now, but no conclusive proof. She would sometimes say it when Seth came in the room or when she heard his voice, but not always. But yesterday I was holding her and talking to Seth on the phone. When I hung up I said, "That was your Daddy, baby girl. He's coming home soon." She reached out for the phone and said, "Da-ee." I tested her, "are you saying Daddy?" She grinned. "Da-ee." I called Seth back and put him on speaker phone. "Do you want to talk to your Daddy?" She started kicking wildly and reaching out for the phone. "Da-ee. Da-ee. Da-ee." I think she knows her Daddy! Lest anyone feel sorry for me (remember Benjamin didn't say "Mama" until he was 17 months old!), Tali does at least babble the "ma-ma" sounds (which Benjamin never did) so I'm confident that it won't take 17 months this time around.

We're still working on crawling and teeth. We do occasionally get a token backward scoot and I can now see two faint little white lines on her gums where her teeth will presumably sprout one day. For now I'm just happy she can't get to the Christmas tree where she would certainly gum any and all ornaments within reach to a soggy death.