Bragging Rights (Right?)

I would like to reserve the right to brag for a moment about our "Baby Bird", Elias James. He is a delightful 13-months old now... he has entered into his teenager-baby months. Mike and I both agree that he is fully loaded: equipped with a spunky, yet content personality, an incredible sense of humor (he seems to know what will be perceived as funny to all humans surrounding him), a keen sense of finding mischief and opportunities for folly and a charm that only a "baby of the family" could have. We are enjoying him SO much.
My husband has definitely broken one of the unspoken rules of parenthood and shows (perhaps unknowingly) an obvious favor and interest in this child (not in that he ignores the other two, but Elias' doings blip so much more sensitively onto his radar screen that the rest of us in this house! A radar screen, which I might add, is sometimes hard to penetrate!!).
If I may, I'd like to ( just this once because I've never done it) list a few of our baby's latest feats. I promise to state the truth and to not overdramatize in the least bit any of his amazing accomplishments, um, I mean milestones:

• He is sleeping through the night. 12 hours of sweet, uninterrupted sleep. (Need I say more?)
• Elias is able to imitate 5 animal sounds (sheep, cat, dog, cow, bird), one vehicle (an airplane), the sound of someone pooping, and knows where God lives (he just points UP). He of course has an extensive vocabulary including key words like "mama", "dada", "uh-oh", "up" and just so many more that I barely have the time to list them right now (he just seems to have an ear for things like sound, perhaps he will find himself excelling in the field of music someday)
  
• He disposes of his own dirty diapers in the appropriate bin (well who would want a lazy baby who didn't pick up after himself after all? Certainly not I.)
  
• Is learning to master use of spoon and fork, albeit while simultaneously splattering himself and the kitchen with food debris (but he's just a "baby", how can we expect more of such a young thing)
• Cooperates during dressing sessions, such as willingly adding arm to armholes of shirts and onesis. Also mastered stepping OUT of pants today (what mama wouldn't be proud of such athleticism?)
• Enjoys reading books and has been found, on more than one occasion, flipping through the "big kid books" in our book crate (and it really seems like he is trying to pull out major plot points while he manages to rip out those flimsy pages of the library books)
• And finally, and yes (and I just told my mother-in-law this morning that I WOULDN'T share this information based on the fact the virtually NO ONE would believe me) he has begun POTTY TRAINING himself. He is showing great interest in doing his you-know-what on the potty. Just this morning he called out "poopoo" from his high chair, only to head straight to the bathroom and attempt to do his tinkles on the big-boy potty (I said "attempt". This experience did however end in his first "accident". BUT I do believe it was MY mistake, if only I had unfastened those darn "FLEXIES" from his Pampers a bit faster, perhaps he would have made it to the seat. For you see, he was ready, and it was I who failed HIM. I'll try and meet his needs better next time...)

So, I hope you understand that this is just a SHORT list of the amazing skills, I mean normal developmental stages, that Elias has hit. I won't bore you with any more details. Just know that we as parents promise that just because Elias is the "baby of our family" that we will treat him with the same amount of attention and accalade that our older two have received from us. Of course except when his behavior, vocabulary and personal skills border on that of brilliance!!!!!!