Third Eight

So it would be wrong of me to let such an occasion pass unmentioned, even if I do happened to be five days late or so. Yes, on the 2nd of October, Thomas turned 8. And, although at risk of saying this upon the occasion of every birthday from this point on … “I can’t believe my little man is 8!:”

So how is Thomas at 8? He’s still a delight. He still struggles with his speech at times, but it doesn’t seem to be holding him back too much. Its mainly when he decides to go off on a whine that he tends to become les decipherable.

There were moments late in the last school year where we thought that the school was going to recommend that he stay back a year to ensure that his reading and hence his writing was up to scratch. We resisted on the basis that he’ll be spending 18 months in what ever school year he ends up returning to school in.

He’s reading has certainly come a long way … I don’t get the opportunity to compare him to his peers, but within himself he’s improved a long long way. His writing I can’t say quite the same for, but we’ll persevere and I’m sure that with effort he’ll get there. He is certainly showing an aptitude for math similar to his older brothers.

He retains his wicked sense of humour and is often smiling, wanting to keep up with the two older boys and at his most frustrated when he finds himself excluded.

He has an Aussie friend Harry over here that he has a lot of fun with, they’re both into starwars in a big way and share other interests as well. He’s playing ringette again this year, in Emily’s team, but sadly not Harry’s. That was almost enough for the commitment to the team to be over before the season began, but I think after scoring a couple of goals and realizing that he’ll be one of the power players on the team that he might start to change his mind.

One of the nicest things that can be said about Thomas at the point in his life is the bond he seems to have formed with Harry’s youngest sister, Bridget; who’s all of 2 and a half years old. If we happen to be sitting down and having a couple of drinks, Bridget is quite happy to go and plonk herself in his lap and he’s quite happy to have her there. It’s very cute.