It has begun.  Yesterday we were on the phone with Nana and she wanted to know all of The Boy's latest accomplishments (i.e. finding a cure for cancer, ending global warming, becoming the first Libertarian president of the United States).  It was perfect timing because in the last 72 hours, The Boy now knows everything, as evidenced by his conversation with his father yesterday when a plane flew overhead.

D:  That's a plane.
E:  PLANE!

Not 'ain.' Not 'pain.' Not 'nane.'  Just 'plane.'
 
Baffled that now he can speak, we took him home and read him his farm book.   He can speak.  A horse says "neigh," a monkey says "ooo, ooo, ooo," a sheep says "baa," a rooster says "cock-a-doodle-doo."  It was amazing.  He then passed his test on the phone with Nana. 

N:  So is this everything he is learning at school?

After 6 months of every animal making the sound "baa" despite the fact that I beg him to say the right sounds, he can now do 10 animal sounds.  And preschool is getting all the credit. 

K:  Ah, no, Nana, we have actually been teaching him his animal sounds at home. 

His 5 1/2 hours a week at school (during which, according to Miss JoAnn, he cries constantly) versus his 162 1/2 hours a week with me.  And he learned this at school?

In Nana's defense, I have made the same incorrect assumption (which I will NEVER make again and I humbly apologize to Renee).  When Alex make an elephant's trunk motion with his arm when I saw him last week, I asked if he had learned it at day care.  Of course his brilliant mother taught that to him. 

Because your mother is responsible for every single sign of brilliance.