About 2 weeks ago, Ben said his first word. At first we thought it was a fluke, but time has proven that he understands what he is saying. The association is definitely there.
Is his first word mama? No.
Dada? No.
His first word is Dee.
Man, he loves that dog.
Here is a short clip of him saying it. Usually he belts it out enthusiastically, but of course he clammed up as soon as the camera came out. Still, he says it a few times. It works better when Dee is around, but she tends to keep clear of him when she can these days, as Ben is going through a hitting phase.