puzzles

My brilliant boy can do puzzles! He has three, and the two that incorporate sound have become his favorites. The first is farm animals that when you match them up the animal sound is heard. Well, it's farm animals and a hamster, and a pig. Okay, it's pets + farm animals. I worked on this one with Daniel for a good week and then he picked it up on his own. I sit there amazed watching him pick up a piece and look for the matching picture on the board.

Gigi came to visit this week, and she brought a very similar puzzle that uses vehicles instead of animals - ship, firetruck, helicopter, etc. We opened it up for him, and I kid you not, he dove right in! It took him just a couple of tries to start matching them up.

He also has become very interested in my car keys. As an infant, he liked them because they rattled. As a toddler, he likes them because he sees what they do. After I open the door, he starts to repeat, "Tees, tees...." (keys) and takes them out of the doorknob. He stretches up on his tiptoes to put them back in the door. We were unloading groceries the other day, and I notice that he has stuck my key into the keyhole on our TV cabinet. Mom and I were so impressed. We never actually lock the cabinet, so he figured it all out on his own.

It is absolutely nothing short of amazing what he understands and can do. Daniel is becoming so expressive - a nice way of saying demanding - but it shows us how much he is advancing. I remind myself of that whenever he pitches a fit because I do not do what he wants!