Dexter's New Tricks

Ali and I have been working hard with Dexter to teach him to clap and wave. He finally has both of them down, it took about two weeks. He is still figuring out when to wave but he does it all the time now. Yesterday we were in Walmart and Ali said as she walked past all the isles Dexter was waving at all the groceries. We got some good video of him waving and clapping last night. Hope you enjoy it!

Dexter's Hearing

Since Dexter's tube placement, we have noticed life change a little bit for this boy. He:

• notices the airplanes as they fly over our house (it isn't subtle at all)
• is a lot louder vocally
• hears Ashton or I when we are on the other side of the house
• rolls a lot more
• hears different, subtle noises like crinkling plastic or other higher pitched/softer sounds

I guess we just didn't realize how much of the hearing world Dexter was missing. Sweet little boy, learn and grow in this new amplified world of yours. Learn and grow.

Smarty Pants

Ashton made the Dean's List for the Fall 2009 semester! He got the official e-mail telling him the great news a couple of days ago. I am so proud of him. He works so hard to secure a wonderful future for our family. I am very thankful for all of his hard work and dedication. Congrats Luv!

Playing with Boxes

For some reason our printer started acting up. It would only print in blue, then in red, (yes it had full ink cartriges of all the colors) and then it wouldn't print page 3 of anything. Well, with Ashton still in school, and my new church calling, this just wouldn't do. So we got a new printer a week or so ago and Dexter was fascinated by the box. So, I put him in it. He wasn't quite sure about it, at first. After a while, he thought that it was pretty funny. He kept hitting the sides of it and clanking his toys on it. He had quite the hay day in it.

Tube

Dexter had his tube put in today. Everything went just dandy! He came back and was a little groggy, but he came out of it all ok. He is back to his happy self, hopefully with a bit less fluid in his ear and a little better hearing.

Going for a Stroll

Like I said earlier, Dexter really wants to be mobile but hasn't figured out crawling. He has figured out that if he holds onto us that he can walk. Sneaky little boy. I'm just afraid that I'm going to wake up one day and he will be running (and thinking "forget you crawling, I can run"). AHHH!

I just love this boy. And I love his little excited noise that he does. Turn up the volume and you'll know what I mean.

Dexter is 8 Months Old!

Dexter is 8 months old. 8 months! He can sit all by himself, roll over in both directions, scoot backwards on his tummy and in circles, and he really wants to be crawling. He does hate being on his tummy and almost automatically will roll onto his back. He loves to bounce and be upside down. He loves his daddy's scruffy foot tickles and anticipates them coming. He loves books and turning pages. He loves to pull his toys out of the basket. He can pull himself up when he sits in the laundry basket, and he loves to sit on the changing table and look out the window. He is so happy and so smart. We just love having him in our lives!

Christlike Love

I would like to share some experiences with you. I was going to put this in my personal blog, but I feel impressed to share it on our family blog.

I have had two very different experiences in the past few weeks. One of my friends posted on facebook a picture of a man who has a facial disorder. His eyes were offset, his nose was really small, and his mouth was puckered in close to his nose. Underneath the picture, he had posted a remark that was intended to be funny, but as I read it, I cried. All I could think was, what if this was my son he was laughing at? I suppose I am a lot more sensitive to things like that because of Dexter. I was so saddened by what my friend was doing.

The other experience I had was just the opposite. A few weeks ago, Dexter and I were out in the foyer at church and one of the bishop's children, Molly, came over to play with Dexter. As she was playing with him, she noticed his ear wasn't there. She searched and searched for it quite perplexed. She checked the other side and saw his ear, and the searched for the other one agian. Then the look that she gave him, I don't want to ever forget. It was a look of pure love. She didn't say a word. She just looked at him and gave him a hug.

It humbles me at how quick and easy it was for her to love Dexter. She didn't laugh and point, she didn't even run away scared. I am amazed at how easy it is for us to forget that. To forget that we need to have the pure love of Christ towards everyone we come across. We need to remember that eveyone is a son or daughter of God, and that God loves them unconditionally, just like he loves you or me. No wonder Christ tells us to become like little children. They are filled with that pure, sweet, unconditional love.

As I looked at the picture of the man my friend had posted, I was overwhelmed with the same love Molly had for my son. I felt that unconditional love for him, and saw him as a son of God, and I knew that God loved him. I am so thankful for that Christlike love and experience I had. I never want to forget it.

7 1/2 month stats

We had to take Dexter in to get cleared again for his ear tube placement. We are good to go as long as he doesn't get sick between now and then. Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 6 ounces 3%

Length: 27 1/4 inches 50%

Head: 44.5 cm 50%

Still Crafting

This winter, I stocked up on some crafts to do so I wouldn't get "cabin fever". Here are a couple more things I've made:

Ties for Dexter (Orion got one for Christmas)

and a car seat cover

I had a pattern for the ties and I think they turned out cute. If you're intersted I bought the pattern from "make it and love it" on etsy. I also have her blog button on the side bar. She is very creative and has great tutorials. Dexter actually was okay wearing a tie. He didn't fuss or play with it much. Here he is ready for church:

What a stud. Snotty nose, crazy hair, and all.

For the car seat cover, I made up my own pattern. I think it turned out well except for the flap. It is a little high and Doesn't quite cover Dexter completley. I love it though. It sure beats having to pile blankets on top of him when we go anywhere. Dexter's not a huge fan of it but he stays nice and warm!