My niece is about a year and a half. I'm kind of curious about her development as compared to other kids. I only know one little girl around her age right now and, so far, she's ahead of that girl. I keep thinking that she's remarkable, but I wonder if that's the Auntie in me talking or if she is a little quick on the uptake. Her birthday is in February. She can say a lot of words (she told people it was her birthday when she turned 1, she knows what bubbles are) and recognizes her food (she knows, for instance, if she's eating chicken or broccoli or avocado, she can ask for chips or sticks [veggie sticks]) and she knows a lot of her colors. She knows a lot of body parts. I only expected her to know stuff like eye or nose, but she knows stuff like shoulder and chin. Am I overexcited about normal stuff or is she really sort of smart?

The mom of my grand-nephew called the other night to let him sing the Alphabet song...of course I think the almost three year old is the smartest little boy in town. I believe telling a child that he or she is smart is good for his self-esteem. My observation is that others often comment on the child's appearance rather than on intellect. I always tell him he is smart.

Aunties - There's a conversation in the forums about aunts going above and beyond this holiday season. Got any stories to share? Post them in the forum thread so the whole community can enjoy!

Auntsiati - I felt the same way about Wudge's potty training (which happened at about the same age.) While I think it is a bit young to be pushing for potty time, my niece picked it up fairly quickly, and my sister told me that little girls pick up potty training earlier than little boys do (not sure how much truth is in that statement, or if she just wanted me out of her hair, but it worked!)