Baby steps

May has made several small but significant cognative steps this week.

Literally, in one case. She's been standing (holding onto something) for quite a while, but this week she managed to "cruise" a foot and a half along the length of her crib. Not a lot, but it was definite locomotion.

She's also capable of pulling herself up... almost to her feet. She gets to her knees often and easily, but yesterday I noticed that she'd also gotten one foot under her, planted flat. She was essentially in the "will you marry my" pose. It's only days until she can pull herself up for real, I imagine.

Finally, an advance that has cause much philological debate around the Ferry household. May has been babbling for quite a while and, much as the infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of keyboards will eventually type "Hamlet", some of her babbling has sounded like English words. (Her adoring Grandmothers have been very quick to attribute meaning to these sounds. Her skeptical parents have been less sure.)

But in the past week or so, we've noticed a pattern to some of the babbling. "Ma. Ma. Ma. Ma. MMMMMMMa!" Specifically, she uses those words when I -- Amanda -- am not in the room. So now, the philosophical and philological question becomes... does she know that "mama" means Mama (meaning me, breastfeeding, cuddling, cooing, etc.) or does she just know that if she makes that noise, the comforting person of myself comes running?

And, on an even more abstract level, is there a difference? When does that immense cognative leap to language come and does it all come at once or in subtle shadings. Is it "Mama" = my mother, bang, like Hellen Keller at the well? Or is it.. well, if I make this noise then that person arrives. I'll associate this noise with that sensation of comfort that usually arrives with that person. Eventaully that noise beomes the name for that person. Eventaully its understood that you, there, are "Mama."

It's all very interesting.