signs of the times

I can't believe my little bruno (all we knew him as a year ago) is going to be ONE next week! He has grown and changed more in one year than he will in all of the years to come. And it has been so awe-inspiring to watch. It has, as everyone said it would, flown by. And yet it has been a fabulous day-by-day adventure. . . .
They say that the use of Baby Sign Language helps them to communicate before they are able to talk. But with Christian, it seems as though signing and talking go "hand in hand" -- :)
I started using signs for 'eat', 'more' and 'all done' when he was about 7 0r 8 months. But he didn't start actually signing until he started talking... b/w 10 and 11 months. And today, for the first time, he signed 'more' and then said "book"... and somewhere in that sequence also said "Popp(y)" (which is now the word for about 5 different categorical objects: The Salad Spinner, My Dad, The song "Pop goes the Weasel", his new book called Poppy the Puppy, and his toy truck that has little popping balls in it)... it boggles my mind that he knows the difference between each "Pop" object and never gets confused when distinguishing between them. And he loves them all!!
Anyway-- the sign and the words together practically made his first sentence... unless you count "bye bye, Daddy" as one. I couldn't believe it. He wanted to read the book about trucks (again!!). I went to a kids' sale today and found a big Tonka Dump Truck for $1.00, which his eyes lit up upon seeing (he immediately put his little dump truck in the back of it). But it is the My First Truck Book that he is obsessed with... every page is "Poppy! Poppy! Vrooooom! Poppy!" ...EVERY page. Poppy the Puppy is a close second. You can imagine what he says for every page with that one too...
Did i mention i hope to have a girl someday??