Dexter is now 8.
The stats:
Weight: 65.6 lbs (around 80th percentile)
Height: 52.5 in (around 85th percentile)
Dexter is getting more “mature” these days. He’s getting longer and narrower as he keeps sprouting up. He definitely has an opinion these days and feels a little like he’s turned into a little teenager. He’s got lots of his own ideas and he goes from happy and having fun to having the “worst day ever” in a matter of a few moments. He’s also the fan of “one more minute” and “I’m almost done,” whenever we ask him to do anything. He rolls his eyes and makes plenty of annoyed faces.
On the other hand, he can be absolutely delightful and fun. He’s very caring and kind. He loves to make jokes and is a loyal friend. We have so much fun together.
He’s still rather risk averse and generally won’t jump in to new activities very easily, but once he does, he is generally thrilled about the activity and that he did it. Recently we were at a pool that had a small waterslide. Dexter was holding on to the railings to avoid going down. Once he did, he proceeded to go on that same waterslide about a million times.
Dexter has started 2nd grade and is enjoying it so far. He is a hard core reader now. He can read chapter books, but still enjoys reading graphic novels the most. We’ve begun the Harry Potter series and he is a huge fan. He can read them, but he prefers to have us read instead. He also likes science themed books and loves learning facts about the body.
He’s is still drawing and creating like crazy. He loves making things out of cardboard and tape. We have a whole box full of paper towel rolls and other items that he likes to use for his creations. He had a great year playing baseball and he’s excited to continue. We’d hoped to get him on a soccer team this year, but the scheduling didn’t work out. He’s learning how to play tennis and has gotten better at skiing this year too. His swimming is okay. He’s mostly pool safe, but not an elegant swimmer.
He’s been enjoying his status as a young brother in that he gets to watch movies earlier than Maya did because his parents are just not creative enough to figure out how to deal with the variety of viewing ages in the house. He’s been watching more Marvel movies along with “The Office” and “The Good Place.” He actually follows the more “mature” shows pretty well and seems to be entertained. He LOVES video games which he only really gets to play on his “phone” when we go on trips. For his birthday, we are letting him start to play Minecraft which will likely be a game changer.
Dexter is really wanting to take control and feel empowered. He’s getting witty and quite funny. He really wants to be right and isn’t great at saying sorry, but there are so many moments when he is so kind and thoughtful. This definitely feels like a testing phase as he’s moving to another stage of life. We love seeing his evolution. Happy Birthday Dex!
