I just put Xander down on the floor and told him to go get his ball. He scooted over and grabbed his ball! Now it could have been a coincidence– that was just the toy he wanted to grab right then, or he understood the word ball! I’m choosing to believe he understood what I said.
He has really started to play games with us. When we’re in the kitchen he crawls, rolls, and scoots over to the box barricade keeping him in the living room and throws a toy over into the kitchen. We throw it back in to the living room. Over and over again. He thinks this is great fun and is so happy that we’re playing his game with him. Of course it does seriously slow down the dinner making process.