Ah huh huh huh huh

Baby J has developed a weird, whining, coughing cry that she uses when she wants something. It sounds like ah huh huh huh huh, ah huh huh. As you can guess, this is a pretty annoying utterance and I'd be much happier if she found another way to express herself.

But she'll do it if she wants your straw. She'll do it went she wants you to pick her up. She'll do it when she wants you to put a hat on her head. It's her default sound for all sort of trivial things.

Naturally, I'd like to discourage the use of this new vocalization but at the same time I see that it's very important to Baby J. She only has a few words (hi, apple, cheese, etc.) and it's hard to make yourself understood with such a limited vocabulary. If we don't respond to her ah huh huh huh, what will she have left?

I guess the key is to be proactive, to learn her cues, to preempt the use of this ah huh huh huh. If I see her stumbling toward me with a hat in her hands, I have to swiftly place it on her head before she gets going. If she lifts her arms for "up," I have to be quick and gather her into my arms without a moment for groaning and/or moaning.