Four

Stats at 4:

46 pounds

46 inches

Top 10 Challenges of 4

10.  You constantly beg for definitions and it's typical to hear,"Why?" over a dozen times before breakfast.

9.  You are still pretty skittish around loud noises.  I have to carry your Peltors with us nearly anytime we leave the house.  If there is a noise that concerns you and I don't have your headgear, you plant your feet like a stubborn donkey and let out a bloodcurdling screech. 

8.  You are starting to balk at putting away your toys.  I have to constantly come up with clever tricks to persuade you to participate in keeping our floors clear.  

7.  You have a mind like a steel trap, which means we have to be very cautious about what we say, what we promise, and what you might overhear.  

6.  You want to constantly go and do.  You're not so content with the idea of downtime, although you need it just as much as your parental units.  You express much displeasure if I don't have a specific plan for an adventure in the morning.  (Definitely my fault since one of my parenthood goals was creating daily fun adventures.)

5.  You are starting to understand stealth and falsehood.  I accept that it's an important part of growing up and that it's a sign of intelligence, but let's just say that I have to sniff your hands to make sure they have been washed with soap and that you haven't just been running the water in the sink.

4.  Peer pressure is proving to be an effective force in your life.  Your teachers describe you as a very easygoing kid who likes everyone, and that also means that you go with the flow.  Awesome when that means using the toilet or lining up for outside time.  Not so awesome when that includes hopping over a fence or running with giant pointy sticks.

3.  The hitting has mostly stopped (unless you are defending yourself or mimicking another), but it has been replaced with screaming/crying when you feel you've been wronged.  I'll still take the verbal assault over the physical though :)

2.  The whining has officially started.  It tends to escalate during important phone calls of course.

1.  You are all done with your naps/quiet times.  You stopped taking a true nap nearly a year ago, but now I can't even give you an hour of quiet time in your room or you don't fall asleep at night.

Top 10 Memories of 4

10.  You sing pop music and children's songs all the time.  You know a lot of the lyrics but aren't afraid to make up your own either.

9.  At bedtime now, you choose 1-3 "things" for me, and usually 5 things for Daddy.  A "thing" might be a tickle, a pound it, a neeeoum (pound it with airplane sound effect), a high five, a high five-pound it combination, a smooch, nuzzle noses, etc.  Then we yell to each other, "Bye-bye!  Sweet dreams!" as I walk down the steps.  As Daddy walks down the steps, the two of you have this exchange, verbatim, each night:

N:  Are you gonna sleep with me?

D:  No, my bed is downstairs.

N:  Why is your bed downstairs?

D:  Because the mommy-daddy room is downstairs.

N:  Why?

D:  Because they thought it was a good idea.

N:  Why?

D:  Because it was something different.
N:  Why?
D:  Because sometimes the mommy-daddy room is upstairs.
N:  Yeah and sometimes downstairs.  And Daddy?  The baby's room is on the right, and my room is on the left.
D:  Ok.  Goodnight.
N:  (yelling) Good night.  Sweet dreams!
D:  Sweet dreams!

8.  You help select your outfit for the next day.  I pull 2 tops and a coordinating bottom or vice versa, and you choose.  You add underpants and socks all by yourself.  You are in love with 5 pairs of purple socks we have found from various sources.  You can't possibly appreciate how hard it is to find purple socks that are not ruffly, but I scout every store frequently to keep you stocked in violet socks.  When all the purple socks are in the laundry, there is much despair but you can sometimes be convinced to wear the red ones.

7.  You can fasten your buckle sandals and put on your velcro shoes all by yourself.  You are learning to master laces - I think you be an early shoe-tier.  You can be trusted to put your excrement in the proper receptacle 99.99% of the time, hooray!

6.  You are starting to love arts and crafts, but you have to be "in the mood". You can delicately apply a dot of glue to paper, string a bead on a necklace, or dip a paintbrush in water then dab it in your new watercolor box to create a sleek streak of purple on a page.  And yes, in every single media, from colored pencils, to markers, to paints, to crayons, to sidewalk chalk, the purple is best loved and worn quickly to the nub.

5.  You read out loud to your loveys, reciting books word-for-word from memory, or just narrating the pictures.

4.  You bounce seamlessly from one activity to the next.  You are mixing up something delicious in your pretend kitchen, you spy the dog out in the backyard, and instantly you are a dog barking and jumping at the front door.  The "dog" chases his stuffed bunny, then the bunny falls and gets an "owie", so the dog morphs into a veterinarian checking the bunny and proffering a plastic bandaid.  Then you want to try the bandaid on me, then you want me to put on my bracelet.  Then you want to try on my bracelet.  It goes on this way until we have to break for lunch or until I notice that every single toy is on the floor and I call for a 5 minute pickup.  I feel a little like I'm living If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

3.  One of your favorite things to do is cook or bake.  If you're not helping me whisk up a batch of muffins, pitting cherries, husking corn, or setting the table, you can often be found at your toy kitchen, mixing, microwaving, and chopping with your wood knife, calling out order numbers.

2.  You are quick to say, "Oh, I'm sorry," or offer comfort with a hug or a reassuring pat.

1.  You are such a dancer.  You crack us up by busting a move anywhere, anytime.  You are just as apt to jam along to the car radio as you are to spontaneously jig while out to eat.  I can't wait to see what you do with your dancing skills - will you save them for showing off at the Homecoming dance or will they be a part of your or career?  Either way, dance on, Nugget!