I thought I might make a little series from “Five Things” seeing as my last blog post (hundreds of years ago) was the same kind of format; so I’ll throw out a ‘Five Things’ post here and there.

This week it’s all about things that Dexter has done in the last while which have made me laugh or smile:

1. Walking backwards. I mean, it doesn’t sound that funny or particularly heartwarming granted, but when your mini human has taken months perfecting the art of putting one foot in front of the other without resulting in a bambi-esque heap on the floor, only for him to suddenly start reversing with ease like something akin to an M.J. moonwalk, it’s hard not to laugh just a little. I suspect his mobility repertoire is only set for great heights from here on in.

2. Using the bin. I’d never planned on getting my toddler to do my dirty work for me, but hell, if he insists! It’s crazy how much they watch, take in, and copy on a daily basis; even the stuff that you wouldn’t think twice of. He has quite recently taken to putting things in the bin ‘for me’. This usually means a snotty tissue or baby wipe saturated with porridge, and can often happen when I haven’t technically finished using said tissue/wipe, but hey ho- let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Mr B was encouraging this new pastime of Dexter’s somewhat, to which I felt I should remind him that if he wasn’t careful we would soon be finding (or losing) valuable household items such as the TV remote down in there. I had yet to finish my sentence when we found him shoving  Mr B’s flip flop right on in. Hilarious.

3. Pasta for breaki. Dexter has pretty much always had a healthy appetite, and never more so than when it comes to his breakfast. However recently his love of pasta and his ability to request pasta for breakfast every morning never fails to put a smile on my face. How do you reason with a 17 month old dictator that pasta isn’t in fact suitable breakfast fodder?

4. Sign language. I know we all think that our own child is an absolute first class genius, but don’t worry, I’m not going to try to tell you that mine can communicate with us entirely in sign language (although there are classes for that now aren’t there?) He has however, taken a very strong interest in Mr Tumble and his  god awful very educational show, and he’s always signing away, which I actually think is great. Dexter calls the program ‘Friends’, and seems to ask for it at every given opportunity; first thing in the morning, as soon as we step foot through door…you get the picture. Whenever he says “fweindsss” it is accompanied with the sign for friends (holding your hands together and shaking them up and down) which he seems to have picked up effortlessly and is very enthusiastic about. What a genius. 😏

5. “Daaaaark”. So we’re driving along one evening to pick Dada up from the train station after work, and as we all know these afternoons have got a whole lot darker a whole lot sooner. Dexter was admiring all the headlights from the other cars (coz what’s not to love?) and in my attempt to be educational, I told him that all the lights were on because it was dark (I know, I should be a teacher with wisdom like that to bestow). However I said ‘dark’ in that weird, slightly creepy whisper that we sometimes say that word in; you know the one. The one that has a slightly raspy undertone. Dex seemed to take that on board, I didn’t think anything of it, and he was silent for the next 5 minutes or so. Then suddenly he shit me up with a “daaaarrrkkkk” coming from behind me…in that same tone and on repeat. Now whenever it’s dark he tells me it is- in that creepy murderer tone. Maybe it’s another ‘had to be there’ things, but it bloody makes me giggle.

Without sounding too cheesy, Dexter is doing so many things lately that genuinely make me belly laugh, that technically I need way more than five things. But who can remember them all, and more importantly who can be arsed to read about them all? ‘Cause let’s face it, no one really cares that someone else’s kid has done a funny do they?

A.x