What will be Holden's first word??

One of the big milestones of any baby's first year is that first word, and I must say that I'm getting anxious for it. In fact, I had a dream last week that Holden's first word was "Madonna" -- don't even ask where that one came from ... the unconscious mind works in mysterious ways. I mean, I think "Lady Gaga" would have made a lot more sense ; )

Anyway, I guess I'm wondering what his first word will be, and whether it will really be a first word, or just some utterance that mommy and daddy think sounds like a word. We've been working pretty hard on getting him to say "cat" as his first word, which I think would be funny. However, it seems rather common for babies to say "Dada" as their first word. According to some scientifically-precise public opinion research done at YouGov.co.uk, about 40% of babies say "Dada," "Daddy," or "Dad" as their first word. Even Maggie Simpson (of the longest running TV show ever, The Simpsons) said "Daddy" as her long-awaited first word. The "da" sound is apparently easier for babies to make than a "ma" sound. Fellow bloggers at DadWagon recently wrote:

"A (female) relative suggested that dads have adopted the term because their children could say it so early, and I agree with her. If a typical first word were “turnip,” we fathers would all be naming ourselves after root vegetables."

I agree, too. Probably very true, and funny to think about. Well, this turnip is still rooting for Holden to say "cat" as his first word. And in case you're wondering, "cat" is the first word for 2% of babies ... so I like our chances.

Not that Holden is going to burst out his first word any time soon -- only 27% of boys say their first word before 9 months old [not sure why I'm into so many statistics today]. We'll certainly let you know when it happens.