SNAPSHOT @ FOUR YEARS OLD
Appearance/Physical:
3'3" on our home growth chart (20th percentile)
Appearance/Physical:
3'3" on our home growth chart (20th percentile)
31.6 lbs on our home scale (20th percentile)
She is comfortably wearing 4T clothes (but I continue to squeeze her into 3T, because we're cheap like that), and is in size 7.5 shoes (I think?) Given that she is obsessed with Frozen, she is in a phase of liking to dress in fancy clothes and shoes. But fortunately she doesn't much worry about whether or not she gets her nice clothes dirty. Her hair is still strawberry-ish blonde, and it has been more or less growing out for the last several months. She likes to wear it in pigtails or a single braid these days. Her skin is beautiful and supple and soft and peaches and cream, but maybe that's just compared to my rapidly-aging hands and face. Her eyes are blue, and small and squinty like her parents. She still has those bags under her eyes, but no one ever comments on her "looking tired" anymore like they did when she was a baby. She got two cavities filled right after she turned 3, but has since taken fluoride tablets nightly and brushes twice daily, so we're hoping that solves the problem. Then again, she actually eats treats on the regular now, so there's that.
My dad jokes that she doesn't walk anywhere, but is always darting form place to place. Or skipping, jumping, dancing, or hopping. But I am aware that she walks at a molasses speed anytime we are actually trying to get somewhere with a purpose. She likes to dance or do yoga, swing, swim, ride her scoot bike, and has recently become obsessed with soccer. Not necessarily playing it, but talking about playing it. Only recently did we discover that we never really throw a ball with her, so yeah, she throws like a girl (and there is a definite reason for that description).
Typical Week/Day:
She goes to full-day daycare/preschool at Vermont Hills Family Life Center at the Lutheran church less than a mile away on Mondays and Tuesdays, and half-days on Thursdays. She spends Wednesdays at our house with Beebees. Lately, on Fridays, she is either in school, or someone watcher her for a few hours, because I have therapy appointments then. "Mama, are your going to the feelings doctor?" Yes, sweet pea, yes I am. She much prefers half-days to full days of school, I think because then she doesn't have to nap. The rest of Thursdays and Fridays are still "Mama Days" and include anything from errands to the Children's Museum to coffeeshops, playdates or the park. Saturdays and Sundays are "family days," which are, obvi, her very favorite. She typically wakes up with Alex to have breakfast during the week, around 5:45 or 6 (while I laze around in bed pushing snooze another 7 times). Then she and I get up and start getting ready around 6:30 or 6:45. On work/school days we try to leave the house by about 7:30 or so. I typically pick her up from school around 4:30 or so, but now that the days are longer and the weather nicer, Alex sometimes picks her up on Mondays and I take a run/hike in Forest Park. Her daycare provides lunch and snacks for her, and we usually have a family dinner every evening around 6ish. We try to start bedtime routine by 7 p.m., which may or may not include a bath or shower, definitely includes teeth brushing and hair combing, and one book each per parent. Alex primarily heads up the majority of the bedtime routine, and I come in for the reading and then I lay with her every night while she tries to fall asleep, making it out of her room some time between 7:45 (on a good night) and 8:30 (more typical). Lately she has been great about sleeping through the night in her own bed.
Our weekends are totally variable. We like to sleep in as long as possible, which might be 7 or so, and I tend to get up with her on weekend days, because Alex is so generous about trying to let me get more sleep on the weekdays. We might have a totally lazy day at home or around the neighborhood, or have plans with birthday parties or errands or vacations out of town.
Sleep, Food/Drink, Potty:
Francie naps at school, going down around 1 p.m., but very rarely naps at home. We do institute a daily 1-hour Quiet Time, which might start any time from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. She typically goes to sleep at night between 7:30 and 8:30, and wakes up around 6 a.m. on weekdays, and just before 7 a.m. on weekends. She will still sometimes fall asleep in the car, and especially if we are on a longer drive. We are lucky that she is not a picky eater, although she's not great about eating a diversity of food, especially at dinnertime. She definitely has her food and drink preferences, which include more sweet, salty, or junk food-y things than I would otherwise dictate. She certainly likes her sweet treats, and even started asking for "dessert" regularly. Favorite foods include yogurt, mac n cheese, crackers or any kind, berries, and bars. She mostly only drinks water, but would love to have juice. She is fully potty-trained, and is learning to wipe her own butt after a poop. But it grosses me out so much to let her spread poo particles all over her sweet cheeks, so I would prefer to just do it myself. She does still wear a diaper or pull-up to bed at night, which is usually wet when she wakes in the morning.
Social/Emotional/Personality:
She is comfortably wearing 4T clothes (but I continue to squeeze her into 3T, because we're cheap like that), and is in size 7.5 shoes (I think?) Given that she is obsessed with Frozen, she is in a phase of liking to dress in fancy clothes and shoes. But fortunately she doesn't much worry about whether or not she gets her nice clothes dirty. Her hair is still strawberry-ish blonde, and it has been more or less growing out for the last several months. She likes to wear it in pigtails or a single braid these days. Her skin is beautiful and supple and soft and peaches and cream, but maybe that's just compared to my rapidly-aging hands and face. Her eyes are blue, and small and squinty like her parents. She still has those bags under her eyes, but no one ever comments on her "looking tired" anymore like they did when she was a baby. She got two cavities filled right after she turned 3, but has since taken fluoride tablets nightly and brushes twice daily, so we're hoping that solves the problem. Then again, she actually eats treats on the regular now, so there's that.
My dad jokes that she doesn't walk anywhere, but is always darting form place to place. Or skipping, jumping, dancing, or hopping. But I am aware that she walks at a molasses speed anytime we are actually trying to get somewhere with a purpose. She likes to dance or do yoga, swing, swim, ride her scoot bike, and has recently become obsessed with soccer. Not necessarily playing it, but talking about playing it. Only recently did we discover that we never really throw a ball with her, so yeah, she throws like a girl (and there is a definite reason for that description).
Typical Week/Day:
She goes to full-day daycare/preschool at Vermont Hills Family Life Center at the Lutheran church less than a mile away on Mondays and Tuesdays, and half-days on Thursdays. She spends Wednesdays at our house with Beebees. Lately, on Fridays, she is either in school, or someone watcher her for a few hours, because I have therapy appointments then. "Mama, are your going to the feelings doctor?" Yes, sweet pea, yes I am. She much prefers half-days to full days of school, I think because then she doesn't have to nap. The rest of Thursdays and Fridays are still "Mama Days" and include anything from errands to the Children's Museum to coffeeshops, playdates or the park. Saturdays and Sundays are "family days," which are, obvi, her very favorite. She typically wakes up with Alex to have breakfast during the week, around 5:45 or 6 (while I laze around in bed pushing snooze another 7 times). Then she and I get up and start getting ready around 6:30 or 6:45. On work/school days we try to leave the house by about 7:30 or so. I typically pick her up from school around 4:30 or so, but now that the days are longer and the weather nicer, Alex sometimes picks her up on Mondays and I take a run/hike in Forest Park. Her daycare provides lunch and snacks for her, and we usually have a family dinner every evening around 6ish. We try to start bedtime routine by 7 p.m., which may or may not include a bath or shower, definitely includes teeth brushing and hair combing, and one book each per parent. Alex primarily heads up the majority of the bedtime routine, and I come in for the reading and then I lay with her every night while she tries to fall asleep, making it out of her room some time between 7:45 (on a good night) and 8:30 (more typical). Lately she has been great about sleeping through the night in her own bed.
Our weekends are totally variable. We like to sleep in as long as possible, which might be 7 or so, and I tend to get up with her on weekend days, because Alex is so generous about trying to let me get more sleep on the weekdays. We might have a totally lazy day at home or around the neighborhood, or have plans with birthday parties or errands or vacations out of town.
Sleep, Food/Drink, Potty:
Francie naps at school, going down around 1 p.m., but very rarely naps at home. We do institute a daily 1-hour Quiet Time, which might start any time from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. She typically goes to sleep at night between 7:30 and 8:30, and wakes up around 6 a.m. on weekdays, and just before 7 a.m. on weekends. She will still sometimes fall asleep in the car, and especially if we are on a longer drive. We are lucky that she is not a picky eater, although she's not great about eating a diversity of food, especially at dinnertime. She definitely has her food and drink preferences, which include more sweet, salty, or junk food-y things than I would otherwise dictate. She certainly likes her sweet treats, and even started asking for "dessert" regularly. Favorite foods include yogurt, mac n cheese, crackers or any kind, berries, and bars. She mostly only drinks water, but would love to have juice. She is fully potty-trained, and is learning to wipe her own butt after a poop. But it grosses me out so much to let her spread poo particles all over her sweet cheeks, so I would prefer to just do it myself. She does still wear a diaper or pull-up to bed at night, which is usually wet when she wakes in the morning.
Social/Emotional/Personality:
Inconsistently SO outgoing and occasionally shy. Generally more outgoing and precocious when the attention on her is not deliberate, like out and about in public, and more shy when she seems to feel put on the spot. Very caring and compassionate and prone to "help," particularly if someone is hurt or upset. Very curious - asks lots of questions. Loves to play with friends. Loves school. Plays equally well with boys and girls, no clear preference for gender of playmates. Perfectly happy to play with kids she doesn't know - and happy to ask if she can join. Seems to prefer big kids to younger kids these days. But still talks about her love of babies. Can be very sassy, bratty and melodramatic at home with her parents. Pretty good at expressing or verbslizing her wants, needs, feelings. Seems easily prone to shame and thus obedience.
Cognitive/Communication:
Very verbally driven (no surprise - Language Arts teacher + speech-language pathologist). Loves to talk, ask questions, think about things and ask more follow-up questions later. Has been really into writing letters, her name, talking about spelling. Likes to read and tell made-up stories. Reads books but mostly just before bed with mama and daddy. LOVES music (dancing and playing to the Frozen soundtrack, mostly). Appears to easily understand basic math concepts and interested in numbers. Recent interest in building - Legos with grown-ups, building forts, puzzles. Very interested in grown-up concepts. Asks questions about swearing, sex, private parts, God, souls, war, good guys vs. bad guys, death, family relationships. We can imagine her being interested in arts or theater or dance, or some kind of human service. She clearly LOVES all things medical - we joke she's either a budding hypochondriac or a future doctor, or both! She insists we read this one book about the human body, mostly liking the parts about how babies develop and are born, how kids grow up. We also have a book about human bodies and how babies are made, which she hasn't looked at in awhile, but is very curious about. We try to be open to discussing any and all topics with her, treating her like an adult-in-progress, but just putting the complex concepts into language she is more likely to understand. So far, although she has heard every swear word in the book a hundred times over, we use a lot of potty humor at home, and she legitimately knows that a man puts his penis in a woman's vagina to make a baby - she has yet to talk about any of these less 'appropriate' subjects in 'mixed company.' She seems to have a very keen sense for when and where certain things are done or talked about, and where they are not. As an English teacher, nothing makes Alex more proud than the few times she's tried on swearing herself and used it in "appropriate" contexts - "the bath is reeeeeally fucking hot." All that said, maybe these are just things we tell ourselves because we can't reconcile the fact that we talk to her about grown-up matters that we know for a fact our peers are not discussing.
Likes:
Frozen. Elsa and Anna. The Frozen soundtrack. Fancy dresses and shoes ("I want to wear my Elsa dress again today," "I'm putting on my Elsa shoes"). Recently, soccer. School. Playing doctor, ambulances, emergencies. Asking for medicine. Taking medicine. Talking about her mild injuries. Putting one braid in her hair (like Elsa!) Putting on sunscreen. Chewing gum. Asking for makeup/chapstick/contacts. "Helping" to bake and then insisting on tasting everything. Riding her scoot bike. Riding her scooter. Going to the park. Swinging! Playing with her parents. Going to the coffee shop. Getting treats. Caillou, Daniel Tiger, The Cat in the Hat. Talking about movies. Playing outside. Going on trips. Mac n cheese. Birthday parties. Birthday cake. Sending "happy birthday" text videos to friends and family near and far. Going for walks after dinner in the nice weather. Checking the weather. Choosing her own clothes. Making people laugh. Singing and dancing and playing pretend. Babies. Mama Days. Daddy's attention.
Dislikes:
Naps. The prospect of naps. Driving on the freeway (for fear of, yup, falling asleep, hence, naps). Going to bed at night. Missing out on any fun. Being ignored. Spicy foods. Eating dinner. Having her tangly hair brushed. Whole school days (see above about naps). Leaving school when they are playing outside. Leaving the park. Leaving a party. Talking on the phone or FaceTime for longer than 3 minutes. Sitting still. Bad guys. Nightmares about sharks or alligators eating her. Bugs in the house. Her parents insisting they help wipe her poopy butt. When Mama and Daddy walk faster than she rides her bike. When her parents try to talk to each other in her presence. Not being the center of attention.
In a Nutshell:
When she is cheerful, and I'm in a good place (patient, open, fun-loving), there is not a more delightful child in this world. Overall, she could be described briefly as curious, verbal, caring, confident, loves her family, and willing to try new things.
***
MONTHLY SUMMARY/WRITEUP
- Dropped a weight on her second toe; I would have SWORN that it was broken. I have never experienced the blood-curdling scream that is my very pained child; she took nearly an hour to calm her body downCognitive/Communication:
Very verbally driven (no surprise - Language Arts teacher + speech-language pathologist). Loves to talk, ask questions, think about things and ask more follow-up questions later. Has been really into writing letters, her name, talking about spelling. Likes to read and tell made-up stories. Reads books but mostly just before bed with mama and daddy. LOVES music (dancing and playing to the Frozen soundtrack, mostly). Appears to easily understand basic math concepts and interested in numbers. Recent interest in building - Legos with grown-ups, building forts, puzzles. Very interested in grown-up concepts. Asks questions about swearing, sex, private parts, God, souls, war, good guys vs. bad guys, death, family relationships. We can imagine her being interested in arts or theater or dance, or some kind of human service. She clearly LOVES all things medical - we joke she's either a budding hypochondriac or a future doctor, or both! She insists we read this one book about the human body, mostly liking the parts about how babies develop and are born, how kids grow up. We also have a book about human bodies and how babies are made, which she hasn't looked at in awhile, but is very curious about. We try to be open to discussing any and all topics with her, treating her like an adult-in-progress, but just putting the complex concepts into language she is more likely to understand. So far, although she has heard every swear word in the book a hundred times over, we use a lot of potty humor at home, and she legitimately knows that a man puts his penis in a woman's vagina to make a baby - she has yet to talk about any of these less 'appropriate' subjects in 'mixed company.' She seems to have a very keen sense for when and where certain things are done or talked about, and where they are not. As an English teacher, nothing makes Alex more proud than the few times she's tried on swearing herself and used it in "appropriate" contexts - "the bath is reeeeeally fucking hot." All that said, maybe these are just things we tell ourselves because we can't reconcile the fact that we talk to her about grown-up matters that we know for a fact our peers are not discussing.
Likes:
Frozen. Elsa and Anna. The Frozen soundtrack. Fancy dresses and shoes ("I want to wear my Elsa dress again today," "I'm putting on my Elsa shoes"). Recently, soccer. School. Playing doctor, ambulances, emergencies. Asking for medicine. Taking medicine. Talking about her mild injuries. Putting one braid in her hair (like Elsa!) Putting on sunscreen. Chewing gum. Asking for makeup/chapstick/contacts. "Helping" to bake and then insisting on tasting everything. Riding her scoot bike. Riding her scooter. Going to the park. Swinging! Playing with her parents. Going to the coffee shop. Getting treats. Caillou, Daniel Tiger, The Cat in the Hat. Talking about movies. Playing outside. Going on trips. Mac n cheese. Birthday parties. Birthday cake. Sending "happy birthday" text videos to friends and family near and far. Going for walks after dinner in the nice weather. Checking the weather. Choosing her own clothes. Making people laugh. Singing and dancing and playing pretend. Babies. Mama Days. Daddy's attention.
Dislikes:
Naps. The prospect of naps. Driving on the freeway (for fear of, yup, falling asleep, hence, naps). Going to bed at night. Missing out on any fun. Being ignored. Spicy foods. Eating dinner. Having her tangly hair brushed. Whole school days (see above about naps). Leaving school when they are playing outside. Leaving the park. Leaving a party. Talking on the phone or FaceTime for longer than 3 minutes. Sitting still. Bad guys. Nightmares about sharks or alligators eating her. Bugs in the house. Her parents insisting they help wipe her poopy butt. When Mama and Daddy walk faster than she rides her bike. When her parents try to talk to each other in her presence. Not being the center of attention.
In a Nutshell:
When she is cheerful, and I'm in a good place (patient, open, fun-loving), there is not a more delightful child in this world. Overall, she could be described briefly as curious, verbal, caring, confident, loves her family, and willing to try new things.
***
MONTHLY SUMMARY/WRITEUP
- "Maybe at Christmas if my toe still hurts I can ask Santa for a cane."
- And later, "My toe still hurts. Fortunately doctors won't cut it off though."
- Belts it out alone to the Frozen soundtrack; the CD plays nearly 24/7, and always when friends are over
- Recognizes "princesses" or defines "pretty" by the length of a fancy dress - to the ground is the very prettiest
- Family movies on the regular - Mulan, Lion King, Frozen
- First movie in the theater - Zootopia
- TV/Netflix shows a couple times per week, including The Cat in the Hat, Caillou, Daniel Tiger
- TV/Netflix shows a couple times per week, including The Cat in the Hat, Caillou, Daniel Tiger
- Reading another Ivy and Bean book aloud at bedtime together
- Soooo excited for her birthday; "xxx more sleeps until my birthday!"
- Chose new shoes, $60 little plastic-something ballet-like fancy shoes, for having earned a full jar of marbles (for staying in her own bed at night)
- Chose new shoes, $60 little plastic-something ballet-like fancy shoes, for having earned a full jar of marbles (for staying in her own bed at night)
- "Mama do I look a little higher than I did in my old shoes? Like a 4 year old?"
- Francie, talking to me about, you guessed it, Elsa and Anna: "You wanna know something funny about their parents? They're dead but you can still see them! But you can't see your mother."
Me: "No, I wish I could. That would be cool."
Her: "You can see her in your heart (she says with her hand over her heart)."
- Me, getting the mail, the Bean, playing in the from yard with her (pink) bubble wand like a sword;
"Be careful of the bad guys."
I return from the mailbox.
"I'm not a bad guy, I'm the doctor. I'm saving the children and killing the bad guys."
- Avid scoot bike rider, still tentative about her scooter
- Newly discovered love of soccer, "like daddy"
- Wants to be a doctor or speech pathologist, and is clearly obsessed with ambulances and fire engines and all things "emergency" or "brain injury" or "surgery"
- Frozen lover
- "I wish I was magic like Elsa. I would be a superhero and put all the bad guys in prison."
- One day when I'm tired after work, she says to me: "I have the energy and you don't. I can give you some of my love" (Puts hand over her heart and then to mine)
"Be careful of the bad guys."
I return from the mailbox.
"I'm not a bad guy, I'm the doctor. I'm saving the children and killing the bad guys."
- Avid scoot bike rider, still tentative about her scooter
- Newly discovered love of soccer, "like daddy"
- Wants to be a doctor or speech pathologist, and is clearly obsessed with ambulances and fire engines and all things "emergency" or "brain injury" or "surgery"
- Frozen lover
- "I wish I was magic like Elsa. I would be a superhero and put all the bad guys in prison."
- Keeping me company while vacuuming my room, she says: "Mama. I want to tell you something." She runs over to me and gives me a hug and a kiss and says: "I think you're really good mama."
- But then this morning at breakfast we are talking about how her Teacher Liz is both a teacher and a mama; I comment about how I bet Teacher Liz is a good mama because she's so warm and caring and energetic too. The Bean proceeds to tell me that I'm a "medium mama," that I'm "good" at some things and "bad" at others, like always listening to her
- But then this morning at breakfast we are talking about how her Teacher Liz is both a teacher and a mama; I comment about how I bet Teacher Liz is a good mama because she's so warm and caring and energetic too. The Bean proceeds to tell me that I'm a "medium mama," that I'm "good" at some things and "bad" at others, like always listening to her
- Usually says she wants to be a doctor, or maybe a baby doctor, when she grows up, but in her 4th birthday interview she said she wants to be a speech pathologist like her mama, so we can work at the hospital together; on that note, I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a doctor (and no, Alex, I don't tell her I am)
PHOTOS FROM THE MONTH (excluding her birthday):
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