Alessia at 4

A week ago I looked down at Alessia in her bed and realized that the baby was all gone. Living in my house is a sensitive, smart, willful, and wild 4-year-old child.

She loves books and drawing and is teaching herself to write. She spends all day telling stories with her sister using found stuff for props.

She's so determined to be independent and in control that she's still not fully potty-trained as she just can't accept that she needs help for number two. At the same time she still doesn't dress herself, because she doesn't want to give up that moment of undivided attention and physical connection.

She is very fidgety and distractable. At meals we are constantly reminding her not to chew on her utensils or turn them into drumsticks. If we ask her to go get something, chances are something else will catch her eye on the way and she'll start telling a story and drawing or putting a few legos together.

She loves dirt and fingerpaint and everything sticky and tactile. That combined with her fidgetiness results in interesting mealtime messes that become kinestetic explorations (a fancy way of saying she will play with her milk after accidentally knocking it over).

She is shy around other children, which is why we have decided to send her to preschool this year. She is both very excited and nervous about preschool. Her first day is tomorrow.

She is very loving, although she almost never says the words "I love you," a scar left over from her sister's birth.

She is my first. Sometimes she sits in my lap and I put her head on my chest and tell her how she napped as a tiny baby lying snuggled up against me. I tell her (and myself) that growing up means letting go of some things and getting to do other things that you couldn't before. Happy Birthday, big girl!

 

 

 

 

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