My Cute Kid - Warning: Shamless Bragging Below

I wish I could freeze Eli in time. I LOVE a one year old! He is so cute and funny and is learning and doing so much every day. Not so much the newborn baby Margaret...everyone talks about how quickly the time passes when your children are young. Well, NOT when they're newborns! But, I can see how that would be true with a toddler. I love watching him learn and explore new things. And, I wanted to share a few things he did this week:
The other night Jason and I were sitting on the couch watching Eli play with his toys when I realized Eli had pooped. Exhausted and not wanting to get up and change him, I said jokingly, "Eli, why don't you go change your diaper?" At that request he scooted out of the room and Jason watched him as he went through the kitchen, into the den headed for his bedroom. He stopped in the den, turned around and had a thoughtful look on his face. Then he went back into the kitchen, got one of his diapers out of his diaper bag and brought it back to me. Jason and I just looked at each other stunned!
Then yesterday we were in my bedroom while I was getting ready to go to the store. Josey was in the backyard and barked that she wanted back inside. I said, "Eli, why don't you go let Josey in" (I've never said this to him before). He zoomed out of the bedroom, down the hall all the way to the front of the house to the door in the den where Josey was standing. The door was ajar so he opened it, but of course he couldn't get the storm door open. So, he stood there tapping on the glass storm door staring at Josey until I came and opened it. So cute.
And last night as we were reading his Noah's Ark book he got all the animal noises right for the very first time...a lion says "roar", a frog says "ribbit", a dog says "woof", and a duck says "quack".
I am amazed at how much a one year old understands. And, how much he talks. He's even beginning to put several words together to form thoughts. He wants everything in the house turned on and always points to a light, or fan, or radio and says "turn on" sometimes he even says "I turn on" or "turn on please", which sounds more like "turn on peas":) He's also said "Bye Bye Mommy". Of course he speaks a lot of jibberish that only he can understand, but it's cute too!