Baby's Top 10 Ways to Communicate

Baby is nine months old now, and although he has grown and changed so much, there has been one thing that has been a constant through the entirety of his life: He is an excellent communicator! Maybe you are rolling your eyes at this sentiment, and maybe his communication is more a nod to how intently we're listening to him, but either way, my husband and I are very thankful for Baby's interest and willingness to communicate. We've rarely had the moment that new parents fear most - being completely unable to figure out what Baby needs.
I only have one child, but my guess is that all babies and small children have a clear way of expressing their needs; we just have to listen and observe closely in order to understand their language rather than just assuming we don't know what they are saying until they are able to speak the language that we speak.
Here are Baby's top 10 means of communicating with us, in order of appearance:
1. Special Hands: From Baby's very first day with us, he has been a "Special Hands Man". Whenever he does something enjoyable, which was mostly only breastfeeding in the very beginning, he would move his hands in a way that can only really be described as Jazz Hands - palms open, fingers spread widely, unfurling over and over again like a flower opening. The Jazz Hands have now evolved into Special Hands that look like he is revving a motorcycle. Baby does this whenever he is excited or when he really wants something.
2. Neh: A couple of weeks into Baby's life, we realized that he emitted a completely different cry when he was hungry. It literally sounded like "neh" with a strong "n" sound at the beginning of the syllable. Baby still makes this same sound when he wants to nurse, and it is now our universal name for breastmilk.
3. Sleepy Song: From very early on, Baby would "sing" when he was ready to go to sleep. It sounds like a combination of humming and grunting, which people often think is a sign that Baby is creating a dirty diaper. We know that making dirty diapers is actually a silent activity, but that the Sleepy Song is a clear way that Baby tells us he is tired and it is his method of soothing himself to sleep.
4. Baby Dino Squeals: Baby began to express excitement and happiness with what sounds like a baby dinosaur squealing. This is hilarious to watch because he has such a huge smile on his face as he lets ear piercing squeals loose. This is usually accompanied by Special Hands.
5. The Raspberries: One time when Baby was a few months old, my husband and I were changing him and I decided to make some raspberry noises with my mouth to amuse him. All of a sudden, we heard a small raspberry sound, but it didn't come from me or my husband. We were amazed! We looked down and our little baby was looking back at us mimicking me! Baby has been a regular motorboat since then, and he is so happy when we look at him and make the raspberry sound back.
6. The Bird Trill: Baby loves to do extended trill sounds as another way to express happiness. You can hear a bit of the trill sound at the beginning of this quick video clip: Baby Noises.
7. Dadadadadadada: Baby doesn't know this is his Daddy's name yet, but he loves to say Dada all day long: Dadadada.
8. The Tongue Cluck: Baby is very versatile with the tongue. This is another way that he tries to get our attention when he wants us to look at him. It's a really cool noise!
9. Dancing: Baby loves to dance. His signature move is the Elvis Pelvis where he rocks his pelvis back and forth to the music.
10. Hugs & Kisses: Baby gives really big hugs and huge open mouth kisses. Even if he is sitting two feet away from me, he will lunge his body over and grab me in a big bear hug. He'll plant an open mouth kiss on me with a giant smile. I'm such a lucky mama!
How did/does your baby communicate with you? Please let me know in the Comments section below!