I know every mom says this...

But I think our girl is smart! And even if it's normal, it blows me away how much she knows already.

We have a riding bus, that was a gift from Aunty Betty. Neil showed her how the seat opens up, and there is a little cubbyhole under there. Well, Maddy thought that was just awesome and loves putting thing inside it, shutting the lid then lifting it again to the object is still inside. Later stage object permanence!

Then yesterday at the playdate, Maddy found a toy that was similar to the riding school bus she has at home. Different shape and colours but the same idea. She walked up to it and immediatley picked up the seat, to look inside the cubbyhole. She extrapolated!

And then this afternoon she was playing in her room and discovered an empty drawer (we've been purging). She grabbed a book, put it in the drawer and closed it. Then waited... and opened the drawer again. And there was the book. Right where she left it. She looked at it for a second, with satisfaction, then left it there for good (and I got to put it away).

We are in the initial stages of 2-way communication. When I sing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" Maddy will start the motions, by patting her head (but has yet to make it to her shoulders, let alone her knees and toes). The other day Maddy caught our attention, and patted her head. And I sang the song. Her face lit up - she was able to tell me something. And I DID IT! Well, this has led to many repetitions of the song by mama, dada, baba AND dido. And I swear I can hear her softly say, under her breath, "Dance monkeys, dance". *grin*

It amazes me to watch my daughter grow and learn and discover. And those cognitive processes that I take for granted, I watch my daughter learn instinctively. It brings home how trully adaptive humans are.