December 29, 2005 - 12:04 AM.

Speak to me, in a tongue of your own devising!

The baby guy has a vocabulary.

The only words he says that nearly anyone else would recognize are "Mimmy" for me, "Di-DAY" or "DA dee" for J., and "beeky" or "beek-dee" or "bikkie" for his binkies (one in the mouth and one clutched in each fist, if he can get them).

Then there are the syllables that are certainly close to words, to wit: "ghee" for cheese (said with a kind of blissed-out sigh); "Daa?" or "Aaa?" for, apparently, "Yeah;" and "ghee" with a little more air, for Keys.

But the best ones are the ones that you really have to know him for, the ones you can best interpret if you hang around him basically for his every waking moment.

First, there are the various tonal variations of "Ba." "Bu-ah?" with a lilting note is "(um)brella" -- as in "Let's go outdoors in the rain, and I would like to chew on the handle of the bu-ah? while out." "Buuh" while pointing to a small pale raised area on Mommy's left cheek is "bump" -- yes I taught him that one. "Bohh" with a sighing finish is the purple-handled bath brush. "Bap-ba" is the bath brush's companion, the blue bath puff. "Boh" with no sigh finish is used to point out objects of interest that he knows we will not give him, but for which he hopes nonetheless. "Ba. Ba. Ba" is for objects he also knows we will not give him, but he wants them much more than "Boh" objects.

Then there are the words for delicate body parts, ones which if scratched or poked by sharp tiny fingernails, hurt enough to elicit sounds which he has interpreted as their names. Noses are "A-aaa?" with a smile. Belly buttons are "Aaa!" also with a smile. Eyes are "Oooo" with an umlaut, an intense look, and lips openly puckered.

But I have two current favorites, despite the terrific cuteness to me of all the above. "Da-gaw" is mainly "doorknob," which he loves to touch & shake, but has extended to other shiny unreachables like miniblind rods and the toilet flushing handle. (This is not to be confused with "Gokkaw," the Doc Ock grabber toy, or "Gok!", which is of course his beloved yogurt.) And that "gollyollyollylolly" sound that he stopped for a couple weeks and took up again around the 10th? It refers to phone cords, electrical cords, wires, and anything coiled like a picture hanger or a ringlet. Not string or yarn; just cords & coils. (And if you think about it, a coiled phone cord does look just like that sound -- agollyollygollylollygoll.)

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