I think the single biggest thing we do to help her with her communication has been to talk to her, since birth, as if she understands. Obviously for most of this time she couldn't understand most of what we were saying, but I really think it has helped her to get the concept of verbal communication and to expand her vocabulary.
When we talk to her we try to give her space to respond, and we try to appreciate that her responses at this stage are likely to be mostly non-verbal. It's amazing how much she can communicate with just the few words she has (duck, fish, turtle, yes, cat, mama, dada and a handful of animal noises - she can understand a LOT more than she can say at this stage) and by signing (milk, more, no, yes, thank you, nappy change, food) and by her gestures and facial expressions.
Baby signing is another thing that I think has been incredibly helpful with her communication. She points to the stair gate and signs "thank you" if she wants it open. She signs for "food" and "more" if she's hungry for solid food. And she's been very enthusiastically signing for milk for AGES now.
We play games every day that also help her learn how to communicate. She can now pick up the fish and say "ish", and the same with the turtle and the duck (she also quacks for the duck), with no prompting at all, and can identify the crab, penguin and dolphin when asked to point to them. She points to pictures of dogs in books and says "woof!" and to cows and says "moo!" Chickens get a " 'uck 'uck" and sheep get a "maaa MAAA!" We're currently doing a lot of games to help her learn colours. She's not quite there yet, but she tried to make the sign for "yellow" the other day when playing with a yellow cup, so I think it's within reach.
When she's unhappy she shakes her head, and head shaking is also "no". She knows that when we offer her something, she can decline it. So it makes me really happy when she enthusiastically signs for MORE of something. Yesterday she couldn't get enough of the lentil and aubergine moussaka I made (little girl LOVES lentils) and I was so pleased.
Another thing we've been loving lately is the special "Goodnight World" book that Aunty Katy and Uncle David brought back for Audrey from Canada (thanks guys!). It features depictions of various Canadian animals in native Canadian art, and repetition of simple phrases saying goodnight to each animal. We've incorporated this book into our bed time routine and it is quickly becoming one of Audrey's sleep cues.
For all that it can be frustrating, encouraging her to sleep, it's also one of my favourite times of the day. She's all warm and sweet smelling from her bath, and all soft in her pyjamas. We snuggle up in bed and say goodnight to each of the animals in the book one by one. I find that counting the animals is especially helpful in getting her nice and sleepy, and will also help her to learn her numbers, verbs and adjectives. "One whale humming softly, two whales humming softly..." and we point together at each one in turn.
By the end of the book she's almost always nodding, and I nurse her down to sleep. Nursing her is still the most peaceful, beautiful part of my day. I think that looking back on these early years, that will be the memory that's most prominent in my mind. This photo conjures up so many emotions for me - love and happiness, pride, peace, security. That peculiar feeling where the knowledge that you're a mother just rushes into you. Maternal.
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