I have a four year old.
I could end with that and anyone who has parented one of these breeds of human would understand by sentiment. But, with that one might miss the depth, the inherent nature of humor and imagination so intricately woven with a grounded intelligence I can't begin to master in all it's complexities. This girl is no ordinary one, no duplicate stamp, she is on all accounts as unique as they come and we marvel daily at her brilliance in both mind and spirit.
Ava's fourth year has been no picnic, housing immeasurable change for such young comprehension. A sick pregnant mommy, a new baby brother with all the trimmings and lack of personal attention, a cross-country move and a personality that grows stubbornness like a weed. Ava has had a lot to deal with amidst a tumultuous spurt of attitude, defiance and independence. Though these things are typical of her age group, Ava has had a particularly difficult time accepting authority within the walls of home and the fire I've spoken of before became somewhat of an unquenchable wild thing that at times consumed all mommy had to offer. That said, since turning four Ava has embraced this new responsibility with almost relief, to have broken the bonds of three-hood for the allowance of self-control that is apparently handed to four-year-olds on their birthday platter. Her desire to rule the roost is still ever present but she is much more quick to ease the reigns a little, even in the last week. She has even started playing with Grayson and loving on him in ways I haven't seen her do since he was a few weeks old, allowing herself to play the part of the sister and daughter more often than attempting a household dictatorship at the hands of a three-year-old emotional volcano. For this I am eternally grateful!
Despite her desire for control, Ava's personality is a gem and a wonder to everyone she meets. She is by far the most outgoing four-year-old I know while somehow managing not to bulldoze her companions. She is a great friend, caring and courageous, immediate to warm and invite anyone into her inner circle. She is intensely smart, sharp, poignant and observant on every level and the depth of her social skills and question asking rival many adults I know. She is a tom-boy of sorts, wants sports equipment and a dart gun in place of headbands and lip gloss but she plays equally alongside her dump trucks and princesses, wanting to wear boots and muddy sneakers while pouting about the lack of sequins on the bathing suits at Target this season.
Ava is learning her alphabet at preschool, recognizes almost every letter, can write most of them from memory and is beginning to sound out words. She is very interested in learning to write and read but has yet to master any of her numbers. I think this is mostly due to her disinterest, she did not learn any of her letters until beginning preschool and then upon deciding she was motivated, learned them all within a very short period of time. This girl can not be coerced into anything! Once she decides she is ready, I foresee time telling and algebra in her future with relative ease, as well as a chronic migraine diagnosis in mine when it comes time to motivate her to use her super-smarts in primary school.
Ava is still taking a nap every day for 1 1/2 - 2 hours but is sleeping for (on average) only 9 1/2 hours a night. For the last number of months she has been falling asleep around 9 or 9:30pm and waking at 7am, and then is desperate for a nap by 1pm. I tried waking her early from her naps to try and get her to sleep earlier at nighttime, but after four or five days of disaster-child I lost my stomach for that. For now we are letting her wind down on her own in her room from 8pm until she falls asleep and trying to keep her nap under 2 hours. It's not ideal but it's what her little body is preferring at the moment.
Ava is wearing size 5 clothes (not 5T but girls 5) and I've lost hair over the task of fitting her now into the 'tween' styled, Hanna Montana, neon, lace and sequined costumes they have available in bulk. Despite her excitement over hot pink Uggs and two-piece bathing suits, I've scoured the stores for things that will somehow still fit her into the little girl category. She is wearing size 10 shoes, loves pajamas and has recently taken to changing her outfit at least four times each day. She is, much to my dismay, at the beginning of wanting to express her independence via her wardrobe and at home is rarely found in an appropriate combination of clothing (think: tights with no skirt, sweatshirt with no shirt and leopard dress shoes).
At her four-year well check Ava weighed 42 lbs and measured 41 1/2 inches, roundabout the 90th percentile for both. She eats as much as I do but thankfully still eats extremely well and loves a huge variety of healthy foods. We are expecting an asthma diagnosis as she gets older and she is currently on a steroid and rescue inhaler regimen following a bout with Pneumonia a few weeks ago, but otherwise she has been deemed healthy and growing perfectly.
We are so blessed by this girl and every day I am stretched by her warm and gregarious heart and her insatiable curiosity and depth. She challenges me to be creative, to define myself as I help her discover her own expanding heart and mind and to be intentional with everything I do and am under the constant watch of such an observant and absorbent girl. She may tire me but I am so grateful for her as my daughter and my companion. I am far better for having her in my life and can only imagine the richness she will bring to our lives and others around her in the years to come.
Ava's fourth year has been no picnic, housing immeasurable change for such young comprehension. A sick pregnant mommy, a new baby brother with all the trimmings and lack of personal attention, a cross-country move and a personality that grows stubbornness like a weed. Ava has had a lot to deal with amidst a tumultuous spurt of attitude, defiance and independence. Though these things are typical of her age group, Ava has had a particularly difficult time accepting authority within the walls of home and the fire I've spoken of before became somewhat of an unquenchable wild thing that at times consumed all mommy had to offer. That said, since turning four Ava has embraced this new responsibility with almost relief, to have broken the bonds of three-hood for the allowance of self-control that is apparently handed to four-year-olds on their birthday platter. Her desire to rule the roost is still ever present but she is much more quick to ease the reigns a little, even in the last week. She has even started playing with Grayson and loving on him in ways I haven't seen her do since he was a few weeks old, allowing herself to play the part of the sister and daughter more often than attempting a household dictatorship at the hands of a three-year-old emotional volcano. For this I am eternally grateful!
Despite her desire for control, Ava's personality is a gem and a wonder to everyone she meets. She is by far the most outgoing four-year-old I know while somehow managing not to bulldoze her companions. She is a great friend, caring and courageous, immediate to warm and invite anyone into her inner circle. She is intensely smart, sharp, poignant and observant on every level and the depth of her social skills and question asking rival many adults I know. She is a tom-boy of sorts, wants sports equipment and a dart gun in place of headbands and lip gloss but she plays equally alongside her dump trucks and princesses, wanting to wear boots and muddy sneakers while pouting about the lack of sequins on the bathing suits at Target this season.
Ava is learning her alphabet at preschool, recognizes almost every letter, can write most of them from memory and is beginning to sound out words. She is very interested in learning to write and read but has yet to master any of her numbers. I think this is mostly due to her disinterest, she did not learn any of her letters until beginning preschool and then upon deciding she was motivated, learned them all within a very short period of time. This girl can not be coerced into anything! Once she decides she is ready, I foresee time telling and algebra in her future with relative ease, as well as a chronic migraine diagnosis in mine when it comes time to motivate her to use her super-smarts in primary school.
Ava is still taking a nap every day for 1 1/2 - 2 hours but is sleeping for (on average) only 9 1/2 hours a night. For the last number of months she has been falling asleep around 9 or 9:30pm and waking at 7am, and then is desperate for a nap by 1pm. I tried waking her early from her naps to try and get her to sleep earlier at nighttime, but after four or five days of disaster-child I lost my stomach for that. For now we are letting her wind down on her own in her room from 8pm until she falls asleep and trying to keep her nap under 2 hours. It's not ideal but it's what her little body is preferring at the moment.
Ava is wearing size 5 clothes (not 5T but girls 5) and I've lost hair over the task of fitting her now into the 'tween' styled, Hanna Montana, neon, lace and sequined costumes they have available in bulk. Despite her excitement over hot pink Uggs and two-piece bathing suits, I've scoured the stores for things that will somehow still fit her into the little girl category. She is wearing size 10 shoes, loves pajamas and has recently taken to changing her outfit at least four times each day. She is, much to my dismay, at the beginning of wanting to express her independence via her wardrobe and at home is rarely found in an appropriate combination of clothing (think: tights with no skirt, sweatshirt with no shirt and leopard dress shoes).
At her four-year well check Ava weighed 42 lbs and measured 41 1/2 inches, roundabout the 90th percentile for both. She eats as much as I do but thankfully still eats extremely well and loves a huge variety of healthy foods. We are expecting an asthma diagnosis as she gets older and she is currently on a steroid and rescue inhaler regimen following a bout with Pneumonia a few weeks ago, but otherwise she has been deemed healthy and growing perfectly.
We are so blessed by this girl and every day I am stretched by her warm and gregarious heart and her insatiable curiosity and depth. She challenges me to be creative, to define myself as I help her discover her own expanding heart and mind and to be intentional with everything I do and am under the constant watch of such an observant and absorbent girl. She may tire me but I am so grateful for her as my daughter and my companion. I am far better for having her in my life and can only imagine the richness she will bring to our lives and others around her in the years to come.
1 comment:
I love her soooo much!!
Ruthie and her are only 1/4 inch in height a part and maybe 3 oz in weight :) !!! Crazy!! I wonder if our girls will ever slow down or if they'll continue to just grow grow grow!!
Love the update and still struggle not to see the day to day changes.
Love you all!!
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