Dexter is 3!

Dexter is THREE!

So far, he hasn't turned into the horrible monster everyone warned me about. Being 3 is still pretty tough sometimes, but with maturity also comes (some) ability to reason. It's like a giant fog occasionally lifts, and he can get a clear view of cause and effect.

He is still a very tall boy (40 inches, 88th %ile), and crazy wiry (36.4 pounds, ??%ile). You can see just about his entire musculature. He has six-pack abs, visible head separation in his calves, pronounced quadriceps (not cut there, though - that's about the only spot he has any fat left on him), clear deltoids and lats, and firm little cheeks from laughing all the time. He can put his forearms on the counter - JUST his forearms - and lift himself up enough to get his knee up there and climb up. (Yes, I discovered this when I walked into the kitchen and found several things from high shelves sitting on the countertop. He was happy to demonstrate his technique for me.)

We get a lot of "Don't kiss me!" often followed with a big snuggle and a kiss not long after. Once it was, "You can only kiss me in the garage." Ha!

His favorite activities are still physical ones. Riding bikes is a lot of fun. The weather has stayed good for a while (even a month beyond the birthday, when I am actually writing this), so he has been able to ride outside often. Naturally, Daredevil Dexter can't just ride them on the large deck we provide mostly for this purpose. No, he has to go backwards down the hill by the basement door. Or, if his mean parents force him to stay on the deck, he is power sliding all over the place.

We've officially entered the "Mom! Watch me! Watch me do this!" phase, which is still pretty cute. Most of the time.

His second favorite activity is probably watching YouTube videos on Mom's phone, Dad's phone, the computer or the TV, roughly in that order. He has (finally) learned to use the mouse and can control his own video selection. We just check back occasionally to make sure he hasn't landed on anything inappropriate. Most common requests are "big boom boats" or "big boom trains." "Crashing trains" is another. We try to throw in slightly more educational things, like volcanoes or sea turtles, but I'd be lying if I said he's asked for that more than a handful of times.

Moving things of all kinds are still incredibly exciting. Diggers of all kinds - especially when they are moving - must be viewed for a few moments if we pass one. Airplanes, trains, boats, buses (school and city), dump trucks, jeeps - you name it. It. Is. So. Exciting!

He and Desmond play together a lot now. They will laugh and laugh and jump and run and laugh some more, until someone accidentally bonks heads or lays on top of the other for too long. Then there's drama and tears for a minute until they start laughing again. They're mostly good about taking turns, though Dexter is pretty sneaky about the way he goes about it - offering Desmond a different toy so he can play with the one Desmond has. Pretty transparent to us, but not yet to Desmond. As long as they are both happy, we are not going to complain. Desmond is starting to hold his ground more, though, so it should be an interesting few months coming up.

Dexter still doesn't sleep well. Really. 20 months and counting of this. Can you imagine how smart he would be if he got enough sleep? He wakes up once or twice a night, probably 6 nights a week now. Comes into our bed and usually falls back asleep quickly, but not always. Potty use at night is not as consistent as we would like. He'll go a week, even 2, with no accidents, then need to change pajamas at 2:00 a.m. three nights in a row. We had one freak daytime accident a couple of weeks ago, but he's been 99.9% with daytime potty use, even during nap.

His brilliance continues to impress. He's a counting madman, not even needing to do "1, 2, 3..." for small quantities. He'll just glance and say "There are three of them." He knows every set of opposites we can think of. He's doing 24-piece puzzles with incredible ease, but doesn't have the patience to sit still long enough to do anything much bigger. So we're trying to find new ways to challenge him there.

We are still working on left and right. And nose-blowing. But hey, some gradeschoolers don't have those down, so I think we're still OK there.

His imagination is really taking off. That's not necessarily a *terribly* new thing, but probably just within the last couple of months. Every night at dinner, some new piece of food is a boat (sailing around his spot at the table) or an airplane or whatever. He'll also tell you *he* is (a lion, a dinosaur, etc). Again, fun.

Aaannnddd....  That's about it. He is still the same Dexter he has been basically since birth - the first and loudest laugher (hiccups are HILARIOUS!), the energetic daredevil. And ridiculously brilliant and handsome, too. :)