Violet at 4 Years Old

Growth & Appearance:

You stand 3 ft. 6 in. tall. You weigh 40 lbs. You wear size 5 clothing and size 11 shoe. You are tall and long. Your hair is medium brown and seems long lately. Slightly less stringy, still straight. You prefer your hair down, but if we put it up you request pigtails. Some days your eyes are steel blue and others they're brighter sky blue. You have new tiny freckles across your cheeks and nose.

Eating:

Most days you eat well. You love a variety of "dip sauces" and find them to be appropriate for most any food. One day you asked for barbecue sauce to dip your cornbread in.

Favorite foods: Beans, chicken, macaroni, apples, oatmeal, cereal, chocolate, toast with grape jelly
Disliked foods: Tomatoes, green beans, butter (who are you?), lots of other things you deem "gross"

Fruit roll ups are holy grail.

Sleeping:

You no longer take naps and I've mourned the loss of it. You go to sleep at night very easily, usually around 9. Reading books in bed is a very important part of your bedtime routine. Sometimes you fall asleep while reading. You sleep HARD. The other night I vacuumed the bedroom after you went to sleep. You sleep through the night and pretty much never wake up until morning. You hate being covered up. You grind your teeth.

Development:

You are vibrant and full of life. You are extremely observant. I feel that your memory is not that of the average 4 year old. You randomly recall things from when you were 2 in great detail. You know how to get places when we're in the car. You give me directions and you're always right. You also have interest in going fast to pass other cars. If cars pass us, you tell me I'm going too slow. You have your address and my phone number memorized. You know all about the five senses.

You can write your name from memory. You enjoy writing other people's names and will ask me to write it for you to look at and recreate. You wrote our neighbor a thank you card recently and included a drawing of their family.

You are athletic. You love riding your bicycle, throwing a frisbee, and kicking your soccer ball. You're sometimes full of energy and can be rambunctious. Some days it feels like the top of the energy jar has flown off.

Doing things without help brings you a great sense of pride. You're eager to prove that you are capable. You dress yourself, brush your teeth, wash yourself, fetch your own snacks. One day I walked into the laundry room and you were non-nonchalantly scooping the litter box. I've learned to stop trying to take over when you do things. Everyone is happier that way. You use the bathroom completely independently and have for some time. You often go without even mentioning it and wash your hands and everything. Sometimes when you go poop you ask me to come sit and talk to you. You ask me questions like, "What's your favorite blanket?"

You had your first visit to the dentist in March. The dentist said you did better than many adults. They cleaned your teeth and gave you a mermaid tooth brush. No cavities. He was particularly pleased with the spacing of your teeth, as it will help to accommodate adult teeth. You ask me every week if we can go to the dentist again.

You can be very stubborn. When you get something in your mind, it's hard to move past it unless it's done a certain way. Sometimes you dictate things for others, like what they want to eat or what they want to do.

You have a loving spirit. You like to cuddle and value quality time with me. If I'm ever clearly upset, you comfort me and sing "Baby Mine." Things that make me so proud.

You love pockets and request clothing with them. You've asked to get your ears pierced because a girl at preschool has hers done. I told you it would hurt a little, but you could do it whenever you're ready. You decided to wait a while.

You learned about strangers at school. Now you frequently ask me, "Is that man a stranger? Is that lady a stranger?" You feel that the grocery store is full of snacks and strangers.

You love playing outside. You carry a bowl around, which you fill with flowers and grass. You toss it all around and call it a salad. You have an active imagination. The visual connections you make always impress me. For example, you say the touts of green onions in the yard are troll hair.

Talking:

Rather than forgot, you say "forleft." I don't correct you.

You call the cup holder on your car seat your drink pocket.

You call suitcases purses.

While playing with Rhett and Oliver, you called Rhett "Ritchett" and genuinely believed that was indeed his name.

When Acorn and Lumi were neutered you were persistent in understanding why they had to go to the vet. I kept it simple and told you they had surgery. Pure understanding registered on your face and you matter-of-factly said, "They had to have a bone moved, didn't they?"

One day when passing a cemetery you asked me what it was. When I said it was a cemetery, you responded with, "Cemetery? Does that come after January?

You asked me one day why Dirby has to take medicine. Rather than explaining that her thyroid doesn't work, I just told you she had to because she's old. You asked me if the medicine made her stop being old.

One day when approached with a hair brush you said, "Whoa, cowboy."

You told me one day that your bones felt rubbery.

Whining in the middle of the night...
"I want to pull the covers over me, but I don't want to use my hands."

You like to make deals. If I try to coerce you into doing something, you'll haggle with me about it and say, "Is that a deal?"

Favorites:

Going through the carwash. Guess Who. Riding your bicycle. Lady Gaga and her Super Bowl halftime performance.

Favorite books: There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, Meet Me at the Moon, Uni the Unicorn, a book about the solar system.

Favorite TV shows: The Magic School Bus, Octonauts.