Four Years

Dear Elijah,

Today is your fourth birthday.  This past year has been such a joy to see you transition from toddlerhood into a polite little boy as your own little personality continues to emerge.  There are definite characteristics you exhibit from both your dad and me.  Your acute sense of direction and knowing where certain places are in town, your love of the outdoors and animals, and your good-natured sense of humor have been inherited from your dad.  You remind me a lot of myself in that you like to know what is expected and what the day ahead will bring, stick to a schedule and routine, and also that it takes some time for you to get accustomed to new situations.

I must admit this past year has been the most challenging so far as you have learned how to become more independent while exerting more of your own free will in decision making along with learning new tasks.  Forget the "Terrible Twos"; that stage was a breeze.  At times, it almost felt like we were living with a "Threenager" as they say.  You still can be easily frustrated and break down when trying to do something that doesn't go quite as anticipated.  On the other hand, this past year has been very rewarding while observing your very sweet, gentle, polite personality emerge.  I've discovered that each stage as you get older comes with its own rewards and challenges with a new set of learning experiences for me as your mother.

As for your eating habits, you are still a hearty eater.  Your breakfast favorites include oatmeal and bananas.  You always request fruit snacks along with juice for a snack.  The only way to get you to drink water is to mix it with juice.  As time has gone on, the ratio of water to juice has left you with very little juice, mostly water but just enough of a flavor that you will still drink it.  You love various pasta dishes, pizza, fresh fruit, and especially Grandma Sabers' homemade macaroni and cheese with ham.  A new favorite meal of yours includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, and little smokies.  You seem to crave braunschweiger dip with crackers when we go out to eat at a local restaurant, which offers this on their salad bar.  Of course, a McDonald's chicken nugget Happy Meal is still a treat. 

You also like sub sandwiches from Subway, cheese balls, and ice cream.  Vegetables are still not among your favorites and most of the time go untouched even when they are offered.  You will sometimes eat corn or carrots dipped in ranch. 

Thankfully, you have always been a good sleeper.  You usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning.  While you still take naps at Barb's daycare, you are too busy when at home to consider them.  Just recently, it has been more of a challenge for you to go to sleep at your usual 8:00 bedtime, especially on days when you take a nap.  We have better luck if we wait until 9:00 for you to go to sleep.  If you don't have a nap, then you are ready for bed at 8:00.  There are three musts for bedtime:  Murphy (brown and white stuffed animal dog who came named on his tag), Grandma Mary's old book (from when she was a little girl that she passed on to you), and a set of at least 10 to 12 books each and every night.   

You love to browse through the books before you lay down and then sleep with them in your bed. 

A year ago at this time, you had no interest in potty training while I was gearing up for the process.  I learned the hard way this task was meant to be completed according to your own timetable.  After a couple months of intermittently trying to get you interested in replacing your diapers with underwear, you learned to consistently use your little potty and became potty trained last August.  Poop training, on the other hand, was a whole different story.  You were fully aware of when you had to go and would beg and cry for a diaper to be put on and would only go in the diaper for the longest time...until February when you decided to go for the first time over at Grandma Mary's.  Ever since then, you became confident enough to keep on using the big toilet for the task and weaned yourself from the little potty to the big toilet.  You also just recently started standing instead of sitting to go potty.  (This is probably a bit too much information, but I like to document all these things to look back at them later once it all becomes a blur.)  For months and months, you would only use the toilet at home and would hold it for the longest time if we were anywhere else, even holding it all...day....long at daycare.  Now, you are comfortable enough to go anywhere; public restroom, anyone else's house, even outside on the tree.  This has probably been the greatest accomplishment within the last year and I am so happy to say you are fully trained (but you do still wear a diaper at nighttime, although it is not as full in the morning anymore). 

You have lots of favorites.  Cars and trucks still top the list.  You love to empty out the big container and organize them in different ways.

You still love to read books and browse through them yourself and have even started retelling stories in your own way by looking at the pictures.  

 You enjoy using Legos to create trains.   

Constructing blanket tents is also a new favorite. 

 

You love to listen to CDs with songs that you can follow along with in books. 

You could spend hours and hours outside, especially riding your tractor around the yard and stopping over at Grandma Mary's to visit on the deck.  You like to visit all your relatives and spend time with them as well.  Splashing and playing in puddles is another favorite pastime.  You are drawn to puddles like a magnet (good thing Dad got you those rubber boots).   

You love when Dad takes you outside, such a pair of farmers you two riding in tractors together or even following him on your own little tractor while he mows the lawn.  

 

Even though you sometimes resist bath time at first, once you get in, you like to spend time with your bath toys and the foam letters, as well as blow bubbles and even dunk your head in the water.  You are also a good helper around the house and seem to enjoy helping unload the dishwasher and put groceries away.  While riding in the car, you will request certain songs we have on a CD.  Learning song lyrics seems to come naturally to you.  If you aren't sure of some of the words, you kind of mumble your way through it but you sure know the beat!  You also remember the names of certain singers in the country genre.  Visiting both the library and park are also things we like to do on a regular basis.  Lastly, your all-time favorite TV show is "Blaze and the Monster Machines."  You remember the names of episodes and will request to watch certain ones at times. 

There are a few things you dislike.  While you used to be terrified of the car wash, you are learning to get used to it.  It is still not your favorite thing to do, but you don't cry anymore when we go through it.  If naughty behavior happens, a simple threat of "calling the monsters" will almost always help this diminish. 

Throughout the past couple of years, you have been busy learning.  You recently learned how to write your first name.   

You can spell your first and last name and you know your middle name.  You are aware of your age, birthday, city and state where you live, your parents' names, and even towns where your relatives live.  You can identify basic colors, shapes, all the letters, and numbers 1 through 12.  You can count to 20 with a little help with the teens. 

You really have a mild-mannered personality.  You are sweet and gentle.  You have started becoming more polite and using manners by saying please and thank you more often without prompting.  You say, "Love you" all the time throughout the day and offer many hugs.  We know you will be a gentle and loving big brother when the time comes to welcome your new sister this fall.  I can't wait to see the bond form between you two!  There will be lots of big changes this fall with a new sibling and starting preschool, but I am really looking forward to watching how these experiences will help you continue to grow and learn about the world around you.

Love,

Mom

 

This year, I picked out a birthday gift for you for the first time; I don't think you even missed a gift from us the past 3 years, and you probably wouldn't have even realized it this year either.

And finally a little survey from your perspective at 4 years old:

What is your favorite color?  White and black

What is your favorite toy?  Cars and trucks

What is your favorite animal?  Giraffe

What is your favorite book?  Look and Find books

What is your favorite TV show?  "Blaze and the Monster Machines"

What is your favorite movie?  Cars 2

What is your favorite thing to wear?  Underpants (When I clarified by saying underwear, he said, "No, underpants.")

What is your favorite food?  McDonald's Happy Meal (he listed french fries, ice cream, cookie, milk, and "those big things" - chicken nuggets)

What is your favorite drink?  Juice, milk, water

Who is your best friend?  Elsa and Brad (from Barb's daycare)

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Ride my motorcycle, bike, and tractor with pedals and my other tractor

What is your favorite song?  "Royals"

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?  Flashcards

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?  Play with Legos

Where is your favorite place to go?  McDonald's and Dairy Queen

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A big boy