Is silence golden?

Every day Drake discovers something new in our great world and delights in it in a way only a child can. Today I took him down to the brook that runs in the trees along our back property line. He discovered many treasures including a rotten walnut shell, a smooth flat black rock that fit in his palm and a mossy stick that he held against the current in the water.
Physically, Drake has great balance and dexterity. He can run and climb as well as stack nine wooden blocks on top of each other. But, even though he is healthy, smart, sweet and funny, Jason and I can barely wait for him to start talking.
It is evident that he can hear based on his physical responses to our questions and statements. And, he knows and utilizes dozens of signs, but he only has a few words and he uses them sparingly (mom, dad, car, bath, boo). We had read that kids who sign, especially boys, often have delayed speech because they have another form of communication at their disposal. Signing, however, is supposed to put him ahead verbally in the long run. We're looking forward to knowing what our little blondie is thinking...but we suspect when he does start talking there will be times we miss our silent signer.