Bap

Peter stopped saying "bap" today. For the past few days, it was his favorite word. I appreciated the significance: /b/ and /p/ are a voiced/unvoiced pair with the same point of articulation. I don't know if that's what interested him, but I bet it was. He had been saying "bab" for a few days before that. It usually went like this:
Daddy: Say "da-da, da-da," Peter.
Peter: Bap.
Daddy: "Da-da."
Peter: Bap. Bap. Bap.
Daddy: Say "ma-ma" then. "Ma-ma." That's mama.
(Points at me.)
Peter: Bap. Bap.

He's a very good conversationalist, and has begun to understand turn-taking in speech. But if "bap" meant anything, it wasn't clear to me. I suggested the day before yesterday that it meant "wookie" (like Chewbacca). Peter replied "Bap."

It really was his theme for a while. A few nights ago, Ron said that he was in coaxing Peter back to sleep. Peter's eyes were shut, and he was just about snoozing, then he muttered, "bap...bap...Bap, bap, bap. Bap."

Today, though, it's "mamma."