One of the cutest things the little guy is doing right now is exercising his new verbal skills.  That means continuing to “talk” like he has been for a while, and it also means saying a few proper words, too.

Our pediatrician told us that at 18 months (the little guy’s current age), they look for a speaking vocabulary of 8 words.  I would say right now he has about that many.  The two that are his favorite are: “hi” and “bye bye”.  

So, now he is eager to say “hi” to everyone he sees – in the hall, on the elevator, on the street, in stores, and so on.  And of course it is accompanied by “bye bye” a few moments later when our brief encounters with whoever are over.

He uses these words as more than just salutations – for example, he will say “bye bye” when he wants to leave a place, or when he is finished eating.  It’s so interesting how this whole talking thing develops!