So Proud

It was so wonderful to spend a few days with Dexter without Daddy.  Being around family that wanted to play with him and take care of him certainly eased the burden of being the (temporary) single caregiver. Still, Dexy was a very well behaved little boy. My parents noticed his wonderful manners and compliance with rules and bedtime. At the same time, he was incredibly social and open for all experiences and adventures.

There was only one fit during the whole trip and I was its only witness. At the end of our twelve hour day trip visiting friends, I stopped to fill my Dad's car with gas and Dexter said he wanted to help pump the gas.  Even though he was clearly tired, I decided to let him try. He pressed the appropriate octane button and I began the pumping.  Dexy said he wanted to do it all by himself but the pump was too difficult for him to squeeze on his own. He tried and tried and then got furious when I "helped". He was screaming and crying, trying to pry my fingers off the pump. "I want to do it all by myself!" "You're not listening, Mommy!" "I tried and tried!" "You're not listening! I NEED to do it!" I got the car (mostly) filled up and by the time we got back onto the highway, the worst of it had passed. Despite being pretty worn out myself, I couldn't be frustrated with him - he had been so great all day long and just fell apart. It happens...