Her First Word?

Little Sister usually wakes up between six and seven in the morning. This morning was 3:45am but we will pretend that didn't happen, okay? Anyway, when she wakes up, she kicks around in her crib and coos. Softly at first and then quite forcefully. The trick is to get to her before her cute coos turn into curdling cries. I usually do. And when I do, when I walk into the soothing blue haven that is her room, I turn the light up just a bit and announce myself.

Mommy is here! I say from the door as I walk in. And, hearing this, she kicks more and coos more.

And then I do something kind of embarrassing. When I actually reach the side of her crib and lock eyes with her, I say hello. But I don't just say hello.

I say, "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" I say this in a sacharrine, breathy, quasi-Southern accent. And I say it over and over, as I take off her sleep sack and change her diaper. My girl seems to like it.

Anyway. Yesterday morning, Husband was playing with Little Girl after her morning bottle. Middle Girl was by his side doting on her little sis (she's officially obsessed with her baby). Big Girl was getting ready for camp, I was blogging. From my perch at the kitchen island, I heard a chorus of coos and other sundry baby sounds and then I heard it.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I smiled. Said nothing. And then? Husband confirmed my hunch.

"Babe," he said. "I'm pretty sure she just said hi."

"Yes," I said. "I think she did."

So. We might have ourselves a first word. Or, let's be honest, we might have ourselves a sweet and silly sound that a certain mother is choosing to interpret as a first word because, really, is there a better first word to have?

Hi.

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Have you ever been told what your first word was? What have your kids' first words been? Do you do embarrassing things/make embarrassing sounds around your tiny ones that you would never do/make in public? Do you think I can count this as her first?