Intellectual Growth

One: "Alex, where's your mouth? Your mouth? ...Yes! Very good! Where's your nose? ...Great! Where's your eyes? ...Yes! Where's your ear? ...Very good! Where's your head? Yes! Where's your tummy? ...Good job! Where's your arms? ...Reaching high! That's my smart boy! Where's your legs? ...No, that's your chest. Legs? ...Well, okay, maybe not. How about feet? Yes!"

I had no idea he knew that many body parts.

Two: Alex found a paper towel lying around, and started amusing himself by tearing pieces off and handing them to me. He was holding it in his left hand and tearing/handing with his right, and I was indulgently collecting bits of paper towel and giggling along with him, though I admit I was more taking delight in his good humor than really grasping the hilarity of the activity.

About halfway through the paper towel, he suddenly ripped off a piece that was bigger than what remained in his left hand. He started to reflexively hand me the large piece, stopped, looked down at the two pieces, then carefully and deliberately handed me the smaller one.

So apparently he also grasps the concepts (if not the words) of "bigger" and "smaller" -- and moreover, is capable of making value judgments about which is better.

Three: Bored with the paper towel ripping, Alex looked over at me and discovered, apparently, hey! I had a whole handful of paper towel bits! I uncrumpled one and offered it to him, and he took it with the greatest delight.

"Alex. Put it in the trash?" I pointed at the living room trash can. "Put the paper in the trash?"

He didn't hesitate. He turned around, tottered straight over to the can, and dropped the paper in. Then he came back for another bit of paper towel. I gave it to him. "Put it in the trash, Alex." He did so, and came back again. I gave him another piece of paper towel, and this time he didn't even wait for me to ask, but took it straight to the trash.

So he can comprehend simple instructions and even extrapolate them into similar circumstances.

Alex is more clever than I've been giving him credit for. Cool!