"Hi!" and Hi Denial

Mark has always been a pretty big fan of saying hi. He learned to wave at 6 months, and we've been practicing ever since.

So when we walk into Grandma's house, we look at Mark and say "Mark, can you say hi to Grandma and Grandpa?" He thinks a minute, then sticks out a paw and ardently opens and closes his fingers. Everyone claps. When we walk into a room of friends or family members who have not seen Mark in a while, we ask him to "say hi." He obliges with the big wave, and everyone oohs and ahhs. Sometimes complete strangers approach us in a restaurant or the grocery store or even while we're walking the dog around the block. They tell Mark how cute he is, and sometimes they even tickle his feet or pinch his cheeks without asking our permission. And to help Mark be confident and unafraid of strangers as he grows older, we look at Mark and ask him to "say hi to the nice lady." He always does. And the stranger always smiles or cheers or otherwise rewards his effort.

For a while now, Mark has seemed to understand that "hi" is both a greeting--used when you see new people or when they're leaving (we haven't taught bye-bye, just hi for both coming and going)--and a party trick. Sometimes, when he senses he has an audience, he busts out the "hi" out of nowhere. When he gets really excited, he shows off the Double Hi. And if that goes well with the crowd, he tries Hi With The Hand Behind My Back (less successful, usually) or The So-Big Hi (which rolls several tricks into one). If the crowd likes it, he follws up with the Big Clap and Laugh (also a great success).

Then, the other day, Mark and Lynne were playing on the living room floor, when Jack walked in. Mark turned, waved hi to the dog, and said "Hi Ja!" Lynne couldn't believe it. She thought her ears must be deceiving her: Mark simply couldn't be talking yet. Besides, whose first word is hi? Mama or dada, maybe. But not hi. And JACK's name, on top of it? No way.

But then Lynne and Matt took Mark to West Virginia. Each time they asked him to "say hi" to new friends or family members, he would stick out the paw and wave as usual, but he would also say "hi." Out loud. It was always done in a little voice that might be mistaken for a sigh, but the verbal "hi" was consistently there with the wave. When they got home from the trip, Mark said "hi Ja" to the dog every time he walked into the room. When he went to visit Grandma Sue and Aunt Leslie, he waved at them both and told them "hi." Later in that week, he said "hi" (with the wave) to Grandma Diane and Aunt Megan. He said "hi" to his books, his house, and the kitchen ceiling fan.

So Lynne is convinced. Mark has said his first word, and (she thinks) it bodes well for the rest of his life. Perhaps he'll be a very welcoming, social little boy who makes everyone feel special and at ease. Matt, on the other hand, is not so sure. He's reserving judgement on whether or not the hi's are for real. Or maybe he's just aching to hear that "daddy."