Peyton,
You are four years old. I still relish the fact that the baby has not gone completely out of you. Your arms are still tiny and compact and those elbow dimples are still there. Your just barely chubby cheeks and knuckle dimples haven’t gone away yet either. That may be all that is still baby about you. You never really called me Mommy much. It was always Mom and Momma. Now it’s mostly Mom, unless you are tired, then it’s Mommy.
At times you still want to be the baby, maybe to stay in competition with your little brother, but mostly you want to be all grown up. Just last week you tried to convince Daddy that you were old enough to stay home alone for the day. You planned on making yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then figuring out how to turn the hose on to water the flowers. That was going to be your day.
It’s been a year of adjustments for you. Last summer you inherited your sister full time and in January your baby brother was born. Subsequently making you the middle child and no longer having baby status.
You have always been very strong willed. You know what you want and you aren’t afraid of letting anyone know it. It definitely makes parenting a challenge but I wouldn’t change you for anything in the world. You are very important to me. I love you more than I ever thought possible. As you have grown and blossomed from a baby into a little girl I am amazed every time I look at you.
You love to learn and you are such a little sponge. Before you even turned four you were beginning to read things. It’s only a matter of time before you will be reading complex sentences. This year you start Pre-k. You have already told us very vehemently that you don’t want to go to school, unless you can play on the playground the whole time.
This summer you completed your first year of dance and had a recital up on stage. It’s was very exciting. You did a great job and were very cute in your tutu. You also played T-ball for eight weeks. I don’t think you liked that very much. It was hot and tough. The little boys raced head first into each other trying to get the ball. You are a little more careful and not quite as ready to get into a collision over a ball. You were very excited when you finally did go after a ball and get it though. Dance seems to be more your thing. You love dancing around the house in dress up clothes. Pretending to be Cinderella, Ariel, Tinkerbell, or anyone else you are into at the moment. You direct everyone in the house to be part of your role playing. Daddy does the best job and can do all of the voices.
This year I took you to the Little Mermaid Ballet, as well as the Snow White Ballet. You loved the ballerina’s in their costumes and you tried to imitate their dance moves. The first time they came on stage you gasped and said ‘They are so pretty” It’s very cute to watch you and see how graceful you are becoming. Grandma Ginger took you to the Toy Symphony at Rollins College and you danced there as well. Until you decided you were done with the whole thing. There wasn’t much to look at.
You have just recently discovered board games and love them. You want to play them all the time. We have to go over cheating on a regular basis. Like all kids your age, I assume, you like to make your own rules. It’s amazing to see you coming into yourself. You are growing and learning at such a fast pace. You are so smart. I love you more than you will ever know. I can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Love,
Mom
