Noah Nicholas William is the coolest kid this side of the mountain right now.

Okay before I tell you this, I have to tell you that Noah is incredible. Not "my kid is gifted" like every loving mother suspects of their child - I mean he is REALLY special. It's hard to explain Noah's character to you, but things always need to be perfect. It's not that he's genius-clever, but he can remember things that will really make you take a step back. 

You only need to tell him something once or twice, and he's got it. Numbers, letters, telling the time - he learned these in minutes. When he was about 1 and a half, I taught him colors in about ten minutes. I had a bunch of jelly babies or smarties or something on my lap and told him all the colors. I said if the got the colors right, he could eat the treat. He remembered. I taught him to tell the time. To add, subtract... I only had to write his name once for him to copy and then he wrote it on his own. I am not saying he is the next Malcolm in the Middle, I am just saying he has an incredible memory. I told Noah our address about 2 years ago (when he was 3) and he still knows it. So, as a (sort of fun) safety measure, I put a little challenge forward to him. 

Noah loves money. He doesn't like spending it, but I think he just enjoys receiving what he perceives as a valuable reward. He understands that money is important and he likes earning it. He'd happily do extra chores or hang up a load of washing for R10. He's been collecting money like this to reach his goal of R100 or ten R10 notes or 20 R5 coins - he has it all worked out.

He also really loves understanding things. He watches documentaries on the human body and space and science and the other day this conversation happened:

Dad: Noah, you're clever because daddy made you!

Noah: No, actually mommy made me

Dad: Oh really and (curious) how did mommy make you? 

Noah: With her DNA.

Nothing gets past him. He's observant, analytical and flippen switched on. You have to be so careful what you say around Noah. Like if I told him about recycling or the environment he would turn this house UPSIDE DOWN implementing new habits, methods and ozone layer friendly-ing everything. You cannot just tell this boy things. You cannot joke with him about just anything or mention things fleetingly. If Ben throws a tantrum in a shop over a toy, I can distract him and say "we'll come get the toy just now" and never go back. Noah will remember that toy his whole life and mention it in my eulogy at my funeral one day. "I loved you mother, but I'm still disappointed about your broken promise and deception when I was only 5 years old."  I am not exaggerating.

Ben is the super easy going little clown. He also has low standards and almost no morals. You could slaughter a sheep in front of Bennie and he'll ask when we're gonna cook it. I had ONE conversation with Noah about where meat comes from and he converted to vegetarianism, indefinitely. The boys are so wonderfully different. They're both Baker Man at school tomorrow, so when I asked what they wanted to take, Ben excitedly shouted "cupcakes" and moved on with his life. Noah said that we should sit down with all our recipe books tonight so that he can first look at all the pictures and decide what he wants to make. 

About 2 weeks ago, I wrote my cellphone number on Noah's arm. I said that if he could remember my number without looking, then I would give him a R100 note. His eyes lit up like a thousand suns. He remembered up to three numbers that day, then a bit further the next day. Then he sort of forgot for a little bit or lost interest. Yesterday morning he asked me to write the number on his arm again, before he went to school. 

He got home that afternoon and didn't even make a big deal out of it. Even after dinner, he didn't mention it. Then he said that he didn't have a nap at school that day because he was looking at and remembering my number. Noah is a very determined boy that pretty much always gets what he wants. I can just imagine him laying on the little mattresses amongst dozens of sleeping toddlers, pretending to sleep but quietly whispering the numbers over and over again, covering them, then looking again and getting frustrated as he got it wrong. 

He sat on the couch, tucked his hands behind his back and recited my number without flinching. Again. And again. He kept saying it because I wasn't reacting, I was just looking at him  - motionless. He just held my eyes and kept saying the number until hot tears fell from my face and softened as I bundled him in to my arms and squeezed as hard as I could.

"Mommy why are you crying!"

"Noah I'm SO happy! It's a happy cry!"

"Is your heart sore?"

"It's sore because I'm so happy because I love you SO MUCH and you're SO SPECIAL NOAH!" 

He just kept quiet and let me hold him like that. I felt his face curl in to a smile against my arms and I knew that his heart was sore from happiness too. You're going to move mountains one day Noah - you already are.