What Does FOUR Years Old Look Like?

This year's birthday interview was conducted by Mommy on 5.28.2012 at 8:20AM in the playroom with her brother in attendance and while she was wearing a hot pink polka dot pajama dress. Addie seemed pretty interested in the interview for the nine minutes that we were on record.

What were your favorite gifts you received this year for your birthday? "Pretzel and Pickle, my new dogs dressed in pink." (These were her VERY first Build A Bear stuffed dogs sent to her from Papa Lance and Karen.) "Also mom, my new pink dress Harrison gave me!"

What was the last thing you were sad about? "When Ella took my doggy bag away from me."

Addie, what makes you really happy? "When I go places with the family!" Carter also had an answer for this one.. "When she saw her doggy birthday party."

Addie, are you scared of anything? "NO!" What do you think Heaven is like? "It looks like you can fly or walk or play any game you want or just go see God. MAVERICK.... ahhhhh... I miss Maverick. I want to go there right now! But I am not sick..."

If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would it be? "A giraffe because I could ride on it and we could put it outside in our backyard with Smokey."

What do you want to be when you grow up? "A doctor that can take care of any animal that is hurt and I will fix them."

Do you like your name? (She silently nods yes) but when I asked her if there was any other name she would like, she says: "Pinkalicious!"

At what age is someone officially a grown-up? "Fifteen. You can go to work and you don't have to go to bed if you don't want to and you can drive yourself to any place you want, like the place with the airplanes."

Addie's 4 Year Old Official Stats!

The four year old well-child check up = the worst of eight well-baby check up's prior to this one.

It is FOUR of the nastiest shots ever. But it's over and Addie rocked it and was hysterical during her "interview" with the nurse and Dr. Jacobson. Bill Cosby should have been there taping, "Kids Say The Darnedest Things." I hadn't told her anything about the shots, but as soon as I passed her a cup full of Advil as we drove to the office, it was on her radar and she was sure to ask anyone and everyone if she was getting shots the entire visit. She screamed incredibly loud and was in definite pain for a full five minutes but by the time we hit the check out desk and she saw the selection of stickers, she seemed to forget the pain.

At Four Years Old, Addie is:
36 pounds (up 4 pounds from a year ago) and in the 59%
39.5 inches (up 2.5 inches from a year ago) and in the 46%
Developmentally, off the charts in all areas, due mainly to her 17 month older brother she is connected at the hip to.
Hearing test was perfect.
Vision was 20/20

The following day, she got to continue her turning four celebration with a trip to her and her brother's FAVORITE place in the world (for real), the dentist. Her teeth were great and she said they can tell we have been doing a great job brushing! (I lowered my head and said, "most days, at least!" Tonight, after just eleven hours from leaving, Addie asked, "Mom, when can I go back to the dentist?!?!"

My Letter To Addie On Her 4th Birthday

Dear Addie,

At 6:21 AM Sunday morning, I woke up from a deep sleep with a FULL bladder. This feeling immediately reminded me of the last time I was pregnant and that today, in fact, was my baby girl's BIG DAY! I immediately started reflecting back to where we were FOUR years ago, exactly at this time. The petocin had probably just been turned on and switched off just as fast when your sweet little heart rate plummeted with the first small contraction. I remember feeling such guilt for wanting to induce a few days early and with tears streaming down my face, I asked my nurse if I could just go home and wait for you to come on your own time.

It felt like it was Christmas morning, waiting for the time, I could go see what Santa left me. I couldn't help but wake your daddy up as I lay awake reminiscing about you as a baby. For thirty minutes on your birthday morning, we went through every detail of your arrival, from the longest night of our lives trying to comfort you at the hospital while you had to be under the lights due to your jaundice to clearly remembering how much you hated that pacifier from hour one at the hospital. We talked about week 7-8 when you developed colic and the HOURS we would spend with you swaddled on the back porch in the sweltering heat. The only place you could find peace while you tummy was in knots every single evening.

It's such a cliche, but it really is hard to believe that it was four years ago you entered our lives and here we are now with this perfect little package of a little girl, complete with a spirally curled head of hair. Your daddy and I snuck into your bed while you were still asleep and laid there with you until you woke up. Half asleep you gave each of us a long hug and soon came to enough to ask where Smokey was!

You continue to blow any expectations I had, of having a daughter, out the water. You amaze me everyday with your expressions, questions and kindness. As I tucked you into bed for the first time as a FOUR year old, you told me you can't wait until you are five! As cute as it was to hear those words, I told you not to worry about being five and to enjoy every second of being FOUR because I know I am going to!!

I love you SOOOO much,

Your Momma

Addie's Top 10 List @ 4 Years Old (#'s 1-3)

This has been a long tradition in our home dating back to Carter's 2nd birthday. I look forward to the time each year it takes to decide on the important items that make this list because it makes me reflect on who Addie is right this moment.....

3. Her Mommy & Her Night Time Routine: It's taken quite a while until I could make the top list with either of my kids with their super-amazing-hands-on-natural-of-a-dad, that Blake has always been. But we can officially say that Addie is my girl and I love how she yells "MOMMA" at the top of her lungs and sprints to me whenever I walk in the room. More than anything, I love how dedicated she has been over the last year to our night time routine. After dad reads tons of books and gets her tucked in, she always wants me to come in one last time and lay with her. In the last six months, we have made up a "special Addie Mommy kiss" that we do every single night and as I walk to the door to leave, we both say, "Night night, sleep tight, see you in the morning light." The funny thing is how dedicated she is to the fact that I come in, there are nights, where I KNOW she is EXHAUSTED, and I am super busy and forget and she will continue to quietly open her door and say, "Mommy... are you going to come in? I promise it won't take long." She melts my heart!

2. Dancing AND Singing: This little girl is a natural born performer. She LOVES it and she gets SO into it. This is a talent I am so impressed by. For several months, she has belted out songs that she makes up on the spot and they actually sound pretty good.

One of her favorite Christmas presents from YaYa and Grandpa was her very own CD/clock radio. She loves to play her favorite Kid BOB song and just dance and sing away.

She has even gotten Carter to dance... which is hard to do!

#1 (JUST LIKE LAST YEAR!) Playing ANYTHING with her brother. Nothing tops Addie's list except her big brother.

When we get home in the late afternoons and it's WAY too hot to be outside, you will find these 2 playing together throughout the house. They play hours of "doggies," where they pretend to take them to school, have parties for them, take them for rides in the car and for walks.

Also, paper airplanes are another favorite activity and they LOVE when magazines come to gather the postcards and turn them into planes.

So at four years old, what does Addie not like????! Tomatoes and bubbles in her baths!!! She's not very into Marcie, her baby doll anymore, and as far as we have come, she still throws an occasional tantrum if tired or not feeling well... like this one a few weeks ago...

Addie's Top 10 @ 4 Years Old: (#'s 4-6)

**This list is continued and is a SNAP SHOT in time of Addie as she turns FOUR years old tomorrow!

6. Smokey and all dogs in general! This has been a consistent list maker since day one with addie. This girl has a definite thing for animals and these four legged animals. No matter where we are, she always asks to pet any dog she can. I see a possible veterinarian in her future or maybe just a house FILLED with every rescue animal she can find! 

... these days, it can be even the stuffed, pretend Smokey that she is obsessed with. Here, she is allowing him to put his head outside the window, while we go to school one morning.

5.Drawing Pictures (by hand not coloring book pages) She is very insistent on this and it could be mainly because her new pre-school, over the last year, does not allow any coloring book pages and encourages them to be creative with all art. If she isn't playing with her brother, this is where you can find Addie... (I can't seem to keep my printer stocked with plain white paper for too long, for some reason.)

4. Talking... talking... talking. Her favorite thing is to introduce her brother. No matter where we are, it usually goes like this... "Hi, my name is Addie. I'm 3 in a half. This is my brother CAAArter. He is five!!"

Another tradition that Blake started with Addie a year ago was making up stories at night and telling them to one another. Just today, I asked her to quickly think up a story and tell me, giving her no time to prepare...

Addie's Top 10 @ FOUR Years Old (#'s 7-10)

10. Her best friends: Believe it or not, after a full 12 months of not seeing these three on a daily basis and making dozens of new friends at her new school. If you ask Addie who her best friends are, the friends she loves the most, without hesitation, she answers: "Ella, Jack Nicki and Ella Madrid." (This isn't something I ask often anymore and was shocked when I continue to get this same confident response! There must be something to infant and toddler brainwashing.) She is lucky if she gets to see Ella M. and Jack every six weeks and Ella Perkins probably every couple of weeks on average now. But when they are all together, they pick up right where they left off.

9. "Striking a pose" is ALL Addie these days! I seriously don't know where she gets this. I know if you know me, you are probably laughing out loud right now... but seriously, when has she ever seen me do something like this?!?!?!

8. Rollie Pollies: Addie could be running across the yard to get a toy and if her eye catches a tiny rollie pollie crossing her path... that's it, we have officially lost her to collecting as many rollie pollies as her little hands can carry. She LOVES them and even tries to name them. We went as far as to attempt to convert Carter's ant farm to a rollie pollie farm... but it didn't end too good for the rollie pollies!

7. Eating: This girl eats anything and everything! Well, except tomatoes!! Some of her favorites include watermelon, corn & her new rice milk, but she cleans her plate morning, noon and night. She loves to inform us she "tore it up!" meaning she cleaned her plate!

A cute memory of her around dinner at this age: When she sets the table, she wants ALL four of us sitting next to each other. So this is usually the set up, 2 chairs are brought over from the end to sit all in a line!

Addie's Annual Interview As She Turns 4!

Less than six short days away, my girl has to stop saying, "I'm three-in-a-half"!

A year ago, I started a tradition with Addie, that ended up being my favorite blog post all year. I asked the same exact questions and  LOVED looking back first!

My favorite thing she says at this age is the name of the medicine you use to put on a cut... just listen to what she calls it.

Miss Addie

Since we can remember, Addie has been in love with all dogs. I wanted to take a moment and remember how this strong affinity to four legged friends has continued. Each and every day, Addie feeds Smokey. Mostly with out needing to be reminded or even with much help any more (except to open the door.)

No matter what she is doing, if Smokey comes with in two feet of her, she completely stops what she is doing, pets him and talks to him for a minute and then carries on with what she was doing before. She gets a total kick out of allowing him to lick her entire face. After three years of this, I have almost given up asking her to close her mouth.

 Most of the time, she sits out there with him while he eats and tries to hand feed him.

Addie and I got some one-on-one time at one of her friend's birthday parties at the Witte Musuem. I know somewhere exists the very same pictures of me 25+ years ago on this same elephant. This is a San Antonio staple.