Smarter Than Your Average Bear? (Doubtful)

I mentioned the other day how quickly Eli picks up new signs now. I'm not really pushing the signs, but sometimes a new one pops up (while I'm working on him actually saying the word) and he soaks it up like a sponge. Yesterday in the car this happened with "bird". Eli loves birds, and was pointing to one out the car window as he said, 'buhhhrr!'. I told him that was right and repeated the word 'bird' as I signed it. He thought this was hilarious and mimicked my hand motions. This morning we watched about ten minutes of a Baby Einstein video we have, but haven't watched in forever (due to Eli's lack of interest in TV....so far). This one has a lot of household objects and their signs. Eli sat in my lap and looked up at my face each time they introduced a word. He would try to say the word, which usually sounded like 'bahh', as he watched me to help him with the sign. Sometimes he would move his hands first, but at least half of the time he would look at me to help him make the sign correctly. He did really well with "chair" and "table" all on his own, but don't ask him to repeat it.....so far it was only during the video.

Since I'm in the mode of bragging on Eli, I'll continue with blanket time this morning. I've been trying to do this more and more when I'm home alone with Eli to prepare him for when the baby needs to eat and I'm not 'available' to him. Today I cheated in a way because I brought out a box of toys that had been in a closet for the past month. These books and toys became new to him, so I was able to get a full 25-minutes (whine free) out of Eli. That isn't the brag though.... For about ten minutes of that time Eli went through one of the books he used to love. Each page has a picture of an object and the name written below. Eli 'read' through the book alternating signs with words as he flipped the pages. I had to stop knitting to watch him out of the corner of my eye as I saw him sign "airplane" and then flip the page and say "NANA" (banana), and then flip and sign "train" while he said 'tee tee' (his version of 'choo choo'), and then flip and say 'keee' (kitty). Even though this is a brag, notice I did not go so far as to outright say how smart my child is. That is mainly due to the fact that after he finished 'reading', Eli played the xylophone for a few minutes and then proceeded to stick the mallets in his eyes, ears, and then his mouth, repeatedly gagging himself. What a scholar...(as apparent in the photo)