It started off as babble, and soon she was reeling off a flurry of ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ sounds, at will.  She still did not know who among us was the mama and who was the papa.  But she liked the sound of it, and wanted to say it over and over.

To tell you the truth, apart from that, it still is just babble.  But you should have no trouble understanding what she wants, when she wants it.

Using a combination of gestures and facial expressions (and screams and laughs!) she can convey exactly what she wants to.  You’ll know when she’s hungry, and know when she’s thirsty.  You’ll know if she likes something, and know when she doesn’t.  It won’t be a mystery that you’re someone she likes, and it will be as clear if she’s scared of you.  She’s full of beans one moment, crawling at full speed all over the house.  And then there are times when she only wants to sleep. 

My precious daughter is all of nine months, and does not know a lot of words.  But she sure can “communicate”!