knack for numbers

i realized yesterday that i'm entirely too dependent on my 3-year old son. and i got lost because of it. liam has this insane knack for numbers. it borders a little on the OCD side, to be honest, but we indulgent parents try to pass it off as just a quirky personality trait. if he goes somewhere once, he will remember any number associated with that trip. we first noticed it as he accompanied us to the airport back in february to pick up my aunt mary from atlanta. he had been to the airport one time previously (ain't no way i'm putting two preschoolers on an airplane anytime soon, so it was just another trip out there to pick up someone who is actually allowed to fly). all of a sudden, as we're cruising down the interstate, we hear his little voice pop up from the backseat. "285! 285!" i had no idea what he was jabbering about, but he wouldn't let it go. and then i started to see road signs for the raleigh-durham international airport. at the top was "EXIT 285". it continues from there. we visited a friend's house for dinner last week for the first time since a birthday party in march. "we need 809, mommy. 809." sure enough, we pulled into the driveway to see the digits 809 on their mailbox. interested in knowing where we depart from I-40 when we travel down to topsail? "408 to the beach," he says, without batting an eyelash. so on sunday, i was driving to our asheville house (i can now say "former" house, as we closed monday morning!) with the radio blaring. it wasn't blaring the wiggles or vacation bible school soundtracks or even little einsteins. it was blaring cheesy 80s pop and i was loving it! perhaps a bit too much, because i missed the dadgum exit to our neighborhood. subconsciously, i was expecting that little voice to pop up from the backseat, "mommy! turn right! we need exit 44!" alas, liam was at home in raleigh with chris, leaving me to navigate this extremely familiar drive on my own. it was five miles to the next exit to turn around and another five miles back. gas: expensive. liam's knack for numbers: priceless.