Geppo

I have a 1 1/2 year old Nephew. We play all the time, and he's a jolly little kid with a charlie brown head and a lot of energy. When he first started talking, he would say things silly (pop-eye is 'poop eye' and sea horse is 'he's horse') but one thing he would say no one remembered teaching him.

"Geppo".

We would constantly ask him what he meant, we thought maybe "good boy" or "hippo", but he can say these words on their own. Whenever he says "Geppo" he stops in his tracks and stares at something and points and says "Geppo".

His mother assumed like we all did that it's a nonsense word he uses to describe something he doesn't know. I thought that. Until 3 days ago.

I was holding him playing a naming game, I will point to something and ask him to name it, ('fan', 'light', etc.). I pointed to the door and said "What is that?"

He whispered "Geppo".

I said "No, that a doo-"

And then I noticed it. His eyes training to focus on something between the actual door and himself. He then followed the thing with his eyes up to around 8ft, which would have looked as if he was just scanning the far wall and looking up at the ceiling.

But I knew he was not. He gripped me tighter and said "Geppo". I took him outside.

I'm not sure what to do or whats going on. But I had to tell someone. I'm not even sure I'm spelling it right. He says "Gep oh" like "Gecko" but he can say "Gecko".

I just asked him to describe 'geppo' for me. He said he didn't know. I asked him to try very hard, and he did. He closed his eyes up real tight, and all of a sudden, his arm jolted into the air, looking like it had a mind of its own. The arm was just fishing around in the air, and then the other did the same. He came through, said he couldn't remember.

The door opened behind me.

"Geppo!" He cried out, pointing.