"more" than "no"

Selah has had a real breakthrough in her language in the past few weeks. She has suddenly added a slew of words to her vocabulary! It is thrilling to hear new words from her and even new sounds in her babble almost daily now! Just last week, she added a really cute phrase "are you?" (translation: where are you?) She will wander through the house asking "daddy, are you?" Previously her verbal repetoire was limited to daddy, doggie (sounds just like daddy), Jackson (also sounds just like daddy), mama (rarely spoken, mostly my presence or attention is requested through whining), and bye-bye (only spoken when the person you're trying to get her to say it to actually gives up on her ever saying it and leaves). Now I can barely keep track of all the things she says: juice, cracker, eat-eat, baby, thank you, gone-gone...the list goes on! Of course, I may be the only one who can understand her, but she's definitely communicating. Only a mother would know the very subtle differences between ma-ma (mom) and ma-ma (Mickey Mouse). Maybe you don't get why this is such a big thing for me. Let me tell you what the last few months have been like at our house.

About the time that Selah turned a year old, she learned a few signs, including the sign for "more." I was so so excited, because now she could communicate with me! Selah also began to think of the "more" sign as "I want...." For example, she might bring me something that she wants me to open and sign "more" meaning "could you open this for me, please, because I want it." So, she was CONSTANTLY signing "more" because she always wants somthing! More mommy, more book (another story), more choo-choo rides, more this, more that. This was the extent of our communication until about a month later, she learned how to shake her head "no." Good, right? More communication. UNTIL...she learned the leathal combination of "more" and "no." Typical scenario: Selah would sign "more," I would guess at what she wanted more of, she would shake her head no and repeat the "more" sign, I would make another guess....etc. At mealtimes she would actually dictate which order she wanted her bites of food:
Selah: more
Me: more sweet potatoes?
Selah: no
Me: more yogurt?
yogurt accepted
Selah: more
Me: more yogurt?
Selah: no
Me: more sweet potatoes?
sweet potatoes accepted

We would finally get through lunch and then go through the same routine when choosing a book to read at naptime. Who knew a 14-month old could be that discriminating? So, I am so relieved to be moving past the days of "more" and "no." I welcome all this new vocab, and am axiously awaiting the day I hear "yes."