Un-edentulous to the eighth degree

James has finally sprouted his eighth tooth. We wondered why he was more needy than usual on Monday but chalked it up to the general Monday-ness of the day. We gave him lots of love and attention and that seemed to do the trick. Then yesterday, Alana pointed out to us that he has eight teeth. The eighth is freshly cut and not as tall as the others but it is definitely there. I'm not sure we would have noticed if she hadn't been so observant. Bad parents! Thanks, Alana.

In addition to now having a matching set of bottom and top teeth, James has been learning to talk and gesture. He has been pointing for some time and we encourage by repeating words and pointing too. He has now said Daddy (daa-deeee), Mama, Hello (hi-o), and Bye (ba-ee). Daniel got a thrill when James pointed directly at him and said 'Daa-deeee'. We are now working on animals, animal sounds, and the parts of the body. He seems to be a little confused when we say 'nose'. I guess it looks like we are telling our face 'No!', a word James is becoming familiar with, especially as he has learned to climb on top of my sewing table. Sigh.....

For those who might be wondering, 'edentulous' means toothless.