(49 Months) 4 Years + 1 Month

I couldn't really decide, so I made three different versions ...

- On the heels of her 4th birthday, the Bean already started talking about when she's 5 and even 6.

- She had Big Girl trip to the Bay Area with Daddy to stay with Mimi at Aunt Patty and Grandma Lambie's house.

- She's obsessed with "bad guys," and all things concrete (e.g. tall or short, old or young, bad guys or good guys, etc.)

- "Today," she said, "somebody just called Beebee and tried to sell him drugs."

- "Well God made us like that." When questioned about what she knows about god, she refused to speak further about it. I essentially explained that some people believe in a god, and others do not, and that there are a lot of what we call "religions" in the world, including words like Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.

- "Because men are stronger than women ..." Yikes. I better work hard to model various kinds of "strengths" that I, and women in general, embody!

- "Yeah but why do grown up women have hair on their vaginas?"

- "When will I get my teenager teeth?"

- When trying get fleece zipper: "I'm still learning, but I'm almost ready."

-Driving to daycare, talking about how I have a patient first thing this morning. 

"Does he have a brain injury?"

"Yeah, he did."

"From war?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Did they used to use swords and now they use guns?"

"Yeah, I think. Did daddy tell you that?"

"And did he have to go to the hospital in an ambulance?"

"I don't think so. Actually he's the one who drives the ambulance. He's called a medic."

We arrive, after a couple seconds of silence, the conversation seemingly over.

"Mommy? I'm gonna be a speech pashoshogist and do you want to work with me?"

- Playing in the yard with Gus, pretending a big stick is a gun. "Bam. Bam bam. Paul Bunyon has got nothin, babe!"

- Putting her down in bed one night, she bumps a sensitive finger after having picked it raw that day: "Fuck it, ow ... I know it's a bad word though."

- "Oh I know pregnant. When you do sex and a baby grows in your tummy."

- "Bad guys are assholes."

- She is constantly talking about Elsa, particularly her hair or her dress. Because I have longer hair than she does, she likes to pull my pony tail down to my boob and tells me, "I want you to be Elsa."
- She's been quite a Mama's Girl lately, and I've mostly been eating it up.
- Taking taekwondo and Irish Dance classes on Thursdays at the Garden Home Community Center.
- She's been enjoying our mostly sunny weather, and is pretty keen to remember to put on sunscreen.

- She developed a habit of picking up garbage when she sees any on the way to April Hill Park, and then throws it in the garbage. I tell her how proud I am that she cares about her neighborhood and the Earth. 

- She had her first successful sleepover, when we were in Bend; Gus kindly gave up his bed to her, and two nights in the row she slept there with mostly no difficulty (aside from the fun parts of slumber parties like staying up past bedtime talking and giggling.

And photos from the month, in reverse order (most recent to oldest):

Baby-wearing hippie.

My new "Francie ring" - Lisa Leonard silver and gold and aquamarine.

Singing and dancing in her Elsa dress.

Lion cubs - Libba with Belle and Walker, Dee with Monroe and Harlow, and Jo with Francie.

Rocking her new skirt handmade by Mimi and her new backpack from Uncle Brian and Aunt Jen.

Ballet outfit in Irish Dance class at Garden Home Rec Center.

After Bend, Francie kept telling us she wanted to go to school with Gus.

Pajama-jam - Josie, Gus, and Francie

My Happy Birthday Band - Francie, AJ and Gus

Double-fisting.

A sunny trip/picnic to the park.

I just adore those knobby little knees! Maplewood's very own Little Miss Sunshine.

We've been talking about a lot of deep stuff this month - bad guys, crime, war, god, death.

Kisses for Baby Hannah.

Out to ice cream in the sunshine at Salt & Straw with mama and Beebee.

We've been reading her human body book a bunch.

Irish Dance.

Taekwondo with Teacher Ruth. She likes it because she "gets to kick."

Home from her trip to SF with Mimi.

My favorite - California poppies and my best girl.

Big Girl tea party - Mimi and Francine.