Could It Be???

All day yesterday, Claire was saying "ba." "Ba" was her "word" for everything, especially when it came to Chris. I began teasing him that she thought his name was "ba." It became our little joke. Later in the afternoon, she was standing beside the loveseat next to me when Chris made a funny face and she laughed. She began saying "ba" several times and the joke continued. I said something like "Ba is so funny. Isn't he funny?," then moments later, "say Dad." The next thing we knew, she said "dad." It was crazy!! She said it so clearly, articulating each "d." This was the first time her syllable was a C-V-C format vs. the traditional babbling structure of C-V-C-V. Given all I know about language development and the requirements to be labeled a "true word," this seems to fit. It was a commonly understood word, meaningful and situationally appropriate. However, she has not said it since.