Edith: 4 Years Old

Dear Edith,

You are FOUR years old and such a mix of a big girl and still little. You still need lots of help but are so independent and introverted too. You can play quietly by yourself but also love to sit and read books and snuggle. You have an amazing imagination, the silliest belly laugh, and you are a sponge that soaks in information and quotes. You can watch one show and have it memorized to repeat back later. You constantly surprise us with the crazy things you say and I don't think I will ever have enough room on my phone for all the things you do that are video and phone-worthy. You are such a delight!!

Food- you love vegetables. "Backaroni"; "Kiwis" are cucumbers, "Peppers" for bell peppers and pepperonis, "Samwiches" for Nutella and bread. Your cups all have names - butterfly juice, elephant water, big girl milk, baby milk. You think that every time we pass an ice cream truck you NEED vanilla ice-cream with sprinkles. When you get hurt you need a "Bo Bo Sticker" or if you hurt your head, you want a hair bow.

Quotes: "I can't deal with this."
"I never seen this before."
"Hold my hand to be nice and safe."
"I'm the sweetest girl in the WORLD!"
"I'm so sorry to miss you."
"I'm so exciting!"

You love dance classes and practicing your sunshine twirls and plies. You get so excited when it's time to go to class that you are super giddy and silly. You loved being in the pool this summer. When it's time to leave the house we often say that we are going on an adventure and you love that concept.

Every night we have a routine where you pick out pajamas (this can often cause drama because its a hard choice) and we read a devotion ("oceans"), the books "Sisters" and "Princess Baby"- both of which you have memorized and we often repeat them in silly voices or songs. You sleep through the night most of the time, but occasionally wake up to pee. You have only peed the bed ONCE since being potty trained!

Potty training was kind of a prolonged concept. You love to play on the potty and can hold your pee for hours! You still have accidents when we're out because you don't like to pee in public bathrooms. You call your bottom your "shiny" and we don't correct you. You phased out naps pretty much as soon as Annie was born (age 3.5) but until that we took naps together often. If you DO take a nap these days, then you have a hard time falling asleep.

You are so passionate. You have a spectrum of emotions and you are talented at the limp noodle when you're not getting your way. You have always had a gift of real tears that can switch off to giggles when you win. You can be so stubborn and if you're determined not to have fun, you won't (i.e. your ballet recital where you watched them instead of participating because of getting in trouble on the walk over). You like to be left alone when you're upset- if people keep trying to make it better by talking to you, it makes it worse.

You are a collector. You love stuffed animals and have to know where all of your toys are at all times. There's no sneaky throwing out your stuff because you have an excellent memory. Your baby dolls names are Roxie, Julia, Demarcus and Baby. There have been many many bedtimes where there's drama because one tiny toy is missing and we don't know where it is that you've hidden it, and you refuse to sleep until it is located. You have OCD tendencies and will line things up. We constantly have "Edith was here!" moments of seeing ways you have organized things.

You love to leave your toys "tucked in" in various locations. You use books as blankets or little washcloths. We find little tucked in toys all over the place. You wear about 4-5 outfits per day and I'm not surprised to see you come out of your room wearing adult shoes, a hat and a random dress up item.

You love popcorn at the movies, riding your scooter in open spaces, dancing on subway poles, finding leaves and sticks, and rainbow bagels or donuts with sprinkles. You could drink milk all day long, and you charm strangers all the time when we leave the house because of your cuteness.

You are pretty shy in public but have some friends at church that you adore. You laugh heartily and easily - I know you're going to be the friend people want to have because you are always encouraging and complimentary. You are polite and say thank you easily. You will say "I like your ____ (hat/shirt/shoes/hair)" You and Israel are still best buddies. You always get "One for Edie, one for Israel" when it comes to snacks. You are starting to really enjoy Annalise too, and love to make her laugh and smile.

Love you so much darling girl! It's an honor and joy to watch you grow up.

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