Today you are 4. Something about 4 sounds SO much older than 3. There is now no way you can even be slightly considered a baby or toddler anymore. You are 100% a kid. A big, goes-to-school, has imaginary friends, pretends-to-be-a-pirate, kid. Though there isn't an exact moment within the past year that you made that transition from little boy to big kid, it has happened. A bittersweet transition for sure, and something that reminds us that the years of parenting are flying by so very fast. Just yesterday, we took you home from the hospital. Clueless about parenting, and unsure of what was to come. Somehow we blinked, and now 4 years have come and gone!
This past year has marked some big moments in your timeline of life. Last Spring, you made your first visit to the dentist. Not that this is a big deal in the course of life, but something about that milestone stands out in the development of who you are. You see, many kids would hesitate or fear sitting in that big, scary chair. Not you. Not our chatty, outgoing, talks-to-anyone little boy. You plopped right in that chair and took it on without a bit of hesitation. It probably helped that we spent a bit of time rehearsing what would happen and explaining every step of the process before we went. You are your mommy's child. You have to know everything in detail before jumping head first into something unfamiliar!
Sometimes that bold, outgoing personality has it's drawbacks. Prior to any major talks on stranger danger, you truly had no fear in new situations with new people. So much so, that you managed to give your mom the biggest scare in her parenting days thus far. While taking a trip with our neighbors to a large children's garden last Spring, you managed to fearlessly seperate from the group in order to make a trip to the bathroom and water fountain. After what seemed like an eternity of searching, Mommy found you happily skipping away from the bathroom area (about a quarter mile from where the rest of our group was playing). Needless to say, we spent many hours discussing stranger danger and your eyes were opened to a whole world of new insight!
Another milestone was your first (and hopefully last for a very.long.time) surgery. After many sinus issues and what seemed like neverending colds, you had your tonsils and adenoids removed in June. Though the surgery was quick, the recovery seemed like an eternity. You spent a few weeks just lounging around (thank goodness you love movies and tv). The scariest part of the recovery was your refusal to eat and drink just about anything you were offered. For a child who absolutely loves sweets, it was a shock to see you even turn down bowls of ice cream for breakfast!
After a fun summer of traveling to the lake, which has continued to be one of your favorite places on Earth, and spending lots of time in our pool, you turned into even more of a fish than you already were. You are fearless in the water and eagerly worked at swimming without any floaties. This became one of the few times when you didn't let your perfectionist, has-to-get-it-the-first-time, mentality get in the way. You tried over and over and over again without giving up. We're sure that by the end of this summer, you won't be needing floaties!
With summer coming to an end, you jumped head first into one of your biggest moments of the year....starting school! You started preschool two days a week at a church preschool about five minutes from home. While most of the other kids hugged, cried, and clinged to their mommies, you asked your mommy when she'd be leaving! There wasn't an ounce of fear or separation anxiety in your body, and it certainly made that much easier for your tearful mommy. With almost an entire year of preschool under your belt, you have accomplished so much. Your social skills are even better than they already were, your imagination and ability to pretend play is fantastic, you are insanely good at coloring, you know all of your letters and the sounds they make, you write your name and love to write anything else when someone spells it for you, and you continue to show more independence with each passing day (even though you'd be happy to let others do everything for you).
We had a busy Fall as we attempted to find some sort of routine before the chaos of a new baby. On our busy days at home and running around town, your bond with your sister grew and grew. As she became more verbal and interested in what you were doing, you became more interested in playing with (and bossing around) your little sister. You love her to pieces and she looks up to you. Most of the time, you two play so well together and it's such a joy to see the bond that has grown. She became your roommate in November as we rearranged to make room for the baby. The first few nights were tough for her, but just hearing you say "It's okay Leah, I'm here, just go to sleep," was all it took to calm her down. You are her protector, as any big brother should be!
In January, you became a big brother yet again. This time, it was a much different experience for you. From the moment you found out you were going to have a brother, you were excited. Though you wanted to name him Mario Luigi Sturm, you accepted him just fine when we decided to call him Joel. This time around, you've been much more interested in the your new baby. You've asked lots of questions...some of which have required some creative answers, such as "how was Baby Joel born?"! Even though there's been a lot of exciting moments with a new baby, you've also had a hard time adjusting to being one of three kids in the house. You have your not so well behaved moments when it is clear that you are just seeking extra attention. Thankfully you have grandparents and your aunts to love on you a ton while Daddy and Mommy are busy being sleep deprived and focusing on Joel!
There are certainly many more moments from this year that have been turned into precious memories in our book. It's hard to believe that years from now, this 4th year of your life will be something you'll forget most of. What won't be forgotten, however, are the ways in which this year has continued to mold you into the person you are growing up to be. You are, without a doubt, an extrovert. You love people and don't have a shy bone in your body. You are sensitive. You care about others and take things personally. So sensitive, that you border crybaby status at times, but we (mostly Mommy) don't mind. The sensitivity and innonence will only last so long! Perhaps that most exciting trait that we've watched develop is your faith in God. You have begun to pray with an open mind....telling God just what's on your heart. You read Bible stories with such excitement and have begun to understand that God is the creator and author of all things. We look forward to how God will use your bold personality to touch the lives of other people for His sake. For now, we'll just enjoy the sweet 4 year old boy that He has given to us. It is a blessing to be your Daddy and Mommy and we can't imagine what life would be like if you weren't a part of it! Happy birthday, sweet boy, we love you so very much!
Love always,
Daddy and Mommy
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