Norah News: 4 Year Update

I once heard that when you have children, the days are long, but the years are short.  It’s hard to believe in those first few sleep deprived weeks and months, but sure enough, it’s true.  It seems like just last week Norah arrived home with us – a snuggly little bundle of joy, when in actual fact it’s been a full 4 years!  She’s still very snuggly for the most part, but that’s about where the similarity ends between her current and former selves!  We went in for her 4 year checkup today, into the same room where we took her for her first visit 4 years ago!  She continues on  her tall and slim trajectory, coming in at 41.5” and 34.4 lbs – about 90^th percentile for height and smack in the middle for weight. 

As is constantly the case with kids, Norah is transitioning into a big kid.  Some days she is amazingly mature and insightful.  I’ve written a few items here on the blog about how kind and caring she can be with her brother (say a prayer for me that it continues for another 15 or 20 years, would you?)  She is also often helpful, offering to pick up toys etc.  I sometimes see her do and say things so empathetic that it brings tears to my eyes.  She’s also working on exerting her independence - sometimes this is not so pleasant for the rest of us, particularly me!  I wonder if we’re too much alike in this regard, or if I too am learning what her growing independence means. 

On the developmental side, Norah continues to not be a concern.. some highlights are

• She knows her alphabet like a champ – she can write them all, sound them all and has begun to sound out words.  She can sound out both the first and last letters of words very reliably and we’re working on putting it all together.
• She knows her numbers, and can add!  She can count “up to 21”, or so she says, though I’ve seen her count over 30.  The adding took me a little by surprise, but apparently we talked about adding in the car at some point previously, and she picked the rest up on her own.
• She loves board games, and is looking forward to Nanny’s next visit, since Nanny likes them too!  She got CandyLand and Chutes and Ladders for Christmas, and they have been a big hit (especially when she wins LOL!)  She also received a couple more games for her birthday, which have also been a big hit.  These games are mainly aimed at kids her age, but nonetheless I’ve been impressed at how quickly she grasps the concepts.  At one point during her birthday party, all the 4 year olds sat down, on their own accord, and started to play CandyLand. 
•  She’s still taking dance lessons and I can definitely see progress in her co-ordination and motor skills, either as a result of the lessons or her growing into her limbs, I’m not sure.  I have also seen her taking dance very seriously as she shows us her stuff.  I’m sure it’s no surprise that she has a flair for the dramatic in her dance moves.
• She’s really interested in activity books and work books.  We got her a preschool workbook, but I think I should have gone for the Pre-K edition as she doesn’t seem particularly challenged by the exercises in the Preschool edition. 
• Also, yesterday she brought home her “Green Workbook” from school, having completed all the exercises.  She was apparently the first in her Pre-K1 class to finish it, and her teacher was impressed.  As was the nurse when I told her what things Norah was doing.  Needless to say, we have no concerns with Norah on this front!
• She’s finally out of pull-ups at night!  She hasn’t been wearing diapers for a year and a half, before Roddie arrived, but staying dry at night has been elusive until recently.  Periodically she’d ask to wear underwear to bed, and after a couple of nights with no success (and therefore no sleep for the rest of us) we’d go back to the pull ups.  She was rarely dry in the morning, so I just figured she wasn’t ready.  A couple of weeks ago she asked again, after a couple of dry mornings and we gave it a go… it hasn’t been 100% successful, but things are going well and I have a strong feeling we’re done with the pull ups for good!  As you can imagine, she’s quite pleased with herself!