Pointing with his index finger

In the last few days baby has begun pointing with his index finger.  We don't think he's actually pointing at anything, he's just practicing using his index finger.  It's cute, except when he's using it to scratch my face or pick my nose.  But even then it's pretty cute.

Practicing with pointing helps develop his finger dexterity and fine motor skills.  When he's playing with his blocks he'll use his index finger to flip the block over or move it around.  He also grabs things between his index finger and thumb now, rather than with his whole hand.

I found this website from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research about communication and the connection between thought and language.  According to the site, pointing is a direct precursor to speaking, but my child isn't exactly pointing in a communicative way yet.  Pointing for communication is supposed to begin somewhere between 8 - 10 months old.  We're still trying to teach him sign language, so we'll see how that factors in.