Bragging about Nicole Today, Chris Tomorrow

I get these weekly updates from BabyCenter.com that I've found very useful. I got this one about Nicole and out loud said "what?!"

Let's Get Verbal
At 30 months, your child can name a few body parts, some colors, or even a friend or two. Her memory and speaking ability work in tandem. If she says "dog sleep" you might say "yes, Spot is asleep on the doggy bed". She can't imitate your complex language patterns yet, but her brain is absorbing them. Every time you repeat her words or expand on them you're helping her memory practice.

OK, I know every mother thinks her child is brilliant but if this is all Nicole is "supposed" to be able to do then WOW, my kid is smart.

Allow me to brag:

• Nicole knows every body part, even obscure ones like "heel" or "armpit" and has for 8+ months.
• She knows all major colors (pink, purple, gray, brown, black, etc.)
• We routinely talk about other kidS in her class and what they did or wore that day.
• She always speaks in complete sentences, often with adjectives.
• She sings multiple verses of songs unprompted and unaided by Jim or I
• She changes the inflection of her voice given her mood or intention. For example she'll sternly tell Jim "don't eat my cookie" if she has to leave it unattended.

What she doesn't yet know that becomes obvious the more she interacts with Chris is the pronoun "his". She's got "hers" down pat but mis-uses "him". For example, "Chris dropped him toy." Our approach is to repeat the exact sentence she just said but use "his" instead and really stress it.

One thing she has gotten down that I'm proud of is relationships. If I ask her about who her cousins are she can rattle off several. She knows who my brothers are, who her dad's mom is, etc. She's not perfect in her answers 100% but normally will hit about 9/10 of them.