Trial Runs

Dexter had the opportunity to wear his monkey costume a couple more times before the real deal. He wore it to reading group at the library and to Wiggleworms.

First Try

We had an awesome Halloween despite Dexter's initial reluctance to wearing his monkey costume! We wisely tried it on him earlier in the week and he pulled at it, cried, and threw a fit. Once I distracted him with the tail, he was fine.

Ashton's 15th Day

Ben, Dexter, and I had the pleasure of meeting young Ashton Oliver on the fifteenth day of his life yesterday. He's a beautiful boy with beautiful parents. Much love to Ashley, John, and Ashton.

Caring for an Other

One day this past week after nap, Dexter had just gotten a diaper change and was eating a snack of cheddar-flavored goldfish when I noticed him go over to his bucket of little 2" tall plastic people and rummage through it until he came up with the "baby" as indicated by the bottle in its hand. He brought the "baby" over to the coffee table and pretend-fed him a goldfish, gently tapping the baby's mouth with the goldfish. Then, Dexter (with "baby" in hand) went over to his diapers, grabbed one, and brought it to the arm chair where he placed the "baby" down on its back, opened the diaper and gently placed the diaper under the baby's lower half. I was so impressed with this act of nurturing an other that my eyes filled with tears.

Ends vs. Means

Dexter knows he's not allowed to throw food on the floor for My Bologna to eat. He still occasionally tests this rule and is immediately removed from his high-chair. Over the last week or so, I've noticed that Dexter puts a little bit of food on the corner edge of his high-chair tray. It took me witnessing My Bologna grabbing the food from the corner of the tray before I realized that Dexter and My Bologna were in cahoots and that Dexter had discovered a way of feeding My Bologna without throwing food on the floor. Smart boy figuring out another means to the end but now we need to explain that it's the feeding of My Bologna that is not allowed, not just the food delivery method.

The Crying Dexter

We think we will blow this up to poster size to hang in the living room with pictures of the Crying Jiffy and the Crying Ben taken when they were about the same age. It really captures the essence of his misery.

Prince AND Pauper