Do you hear what I hear?

Planes, phones and remote controls. These are things that excite my little man.

He still doesn't say much in the way of real words, but listen up, he's not without a voice. He babbles and babbles as he plays, sometimes mixing in a "MA! MA! MA!" or "DA!DA!DA!" However, he's yet to shout those words in any attempt to talk to us or get our attention.

Still, I chat away with him. Narrating our grocery store outing as if I were a tour guide at Disneyland. Lucky for me, I shop during the day when all the shoppers are either seniors or moms like me. Today I heard three other shoppers who absolutely loved the little man's smile. Gush. Me, too.

So with me talking all the time, he's absolutely picked up on simple directions. He doesn't always carry them out, but I know he hears them. He's learning to throw away his diaper, put dirty clothes in the laundry, and, his favorite, throw his rubber duckies in the bath tub.

And, as if I needed another reason to think my son is smart, he is picking up a new sign or two a day. I started doing sign language months ago with simple signs like "more" and "milk." I looked at blank stares and quiet hands for so long that I'd nearly given up on it. And then, a little more than a week ago, he very clearly (and unprompted) gave me the sign for more. It's a little wonky, but I know what he's asking. He now tells me he wants more milk or more toast at breakfast. He also knows how to sign light, airplane and all done.

For several weeks he's been pointing at his ear when he hears something. It started with airplanes. When we'd be out walking or in the yard and a plane would fly by (for those of you who don't know, we live fairly close to a large, commercial airport and a small, private one, so we see lots of planes) I would point to it, and say: "I see it with my eyes, and I hear it with my ears," pointing at the body parts.

Well, he was paying attention! Now, the phone rings -- points to his ear. Wiley barks -- points to his ear. An airplane flies overhead, and he points to his ear. The last is amazing. Amazing because we can be in the house, doing our thing, and I won't notice it. Then, he'll point to his ear, and I pause for a second, and, yes, I also hear that airplane.

We also live close to a port, so we hear ship horns and trains pretty regularly, too. He points to his ear for those as well, and I'm scrambling to learn the signs for train and boat!

The other day, after laying him down for a nap, I was in the kitchen by myself, and I heard a plane fly overhead. I smiled as I imagined the little boy in his bed, sucking on a binky and snuggling with the frog his Nana gave him and a bear his Grandma gave him, upstairs pointing to his ear.