January 7, 2014
Has it really been over a month since I’ve written for you? Dang, so sorry about that. But I wanted to jot down one of your favorite sayings right now that I am head over heels in love with. Instead of saying “You’re welcome,” you say “You’re melcome.” It’s so cute! I love repeating it, too.
And you just did the snap on your pj’s! We’ve been working on that for weeks, and now you can do it all by yourself. Great job, little one!
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January 13, 2014
You did your zipper today all by yourself! You put your coat on as we were leaving work at the gym, you got it started, and then you got it zipped all the way up. Great job!
Another big thing today – we got you registered for K4 starting in September. Wow. I know that blows my mind instead of yours, but I could not believe we were actually walking into a full-blown school for you already. I think you’re going to love it, but it is going to be so weird not having you here every morning. At least it’s only 2.5 hours, so I won’t have to be away from you all day just yet.
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January 22, 2014
Continuing on your motor skills journey, yesterday you buttoned all 4 buttons on your sweater by yourself. I’m pretty sure you were able to do buttons before that, but I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you button something all the way up on your own.
You love little songs, too. Lana gets the baby version of Highlights magazine, and you adore reading them along with her. In each of the first 2 issues there have been little songs, one sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle”, and the other sung to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?” You now have me sing you one of them for nap times and the other for bed times. And you had the words memorized from about the very first time you heard them. So smart. You also love “The Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly”, and I love how you say “perhaps” – “pee-haps”.
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February 1, 2014
Happy 42 month birthday, peanut! I can’t believe how big you’re getting. I swear you grow an inch every day.
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February 14, 2014
Happy Valentine’s Day, my little beauty!
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February 20, 2014
I made your first dentist appointment today. Woo wee! I hope it doesn’t totally scare you.
And yet another example of my less-than-exceptional parenting – I just realized today that you turned 3 and a half this month. Only almost 3 weeks late on that one.
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February 25, 2014
I love how you always say “my sister” when referring to Lana, instead of just calling her “Lana”. You’re so sweet.
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March 1, 2014
Happy 43 month birthday, sweet pea! You are so funny. I just adore how you call McDonald’s “Old McDonald’s”.
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March 6, 2014
You had your first trip to the dentist today, and you did great! They said your teeth look wonderful, and you did such a good job sitting up in the big chair for the hygienist and dentist. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart!
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March 12, 2014
You are simply the cutest. In honor of Wacky Wednesday each week, you wear mismatched socks. You’re so funny and creative, I love it.
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April 2, 2014
Happy 44 month birthday yesterday, Squeaker! (geez, we haven’t called you that in forever!) You were an absolute angel of a traveler out to Tucson and back last week, which was a welcome opposite to your sister. And today we switched you up to a booster car seat. Stop growing so fast!
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April 4, 2014
About 2 days ago you started writing your name perfectly all by yourself. I’m so impressed!! Your As kind of look like Hs with a little hat on top, but you’ll get those down in no time. Way to go, peanut!
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April 8, 2014
This past Sunday you went to your first movie in the theater with Daddy. You guys saw The Muppets Most Wanted, and you loved it. You even ate an entire jumbo box of gummi bears! And yesterday I got just another dose of how wonderful you are. One of the ladies who always comes to the gym with her little 2-year-old girl was on her way out, and I said good-bye as she was getting her stuff together. She said she had to tell me how sweet you are. When she arrived in the kids room yesterday morning her daughter was having a little tantrum, and you were watching the whole thing. You quickly went over to the coloring area and got some paper and crayons for her little girl, then came back over to give them to her to help calm her down and start playing. I about burst with pride. You are such a loving, kind, gentle soul, and I hope that never changes.
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April 11, 2014
Big day today – we visited your new school where you’ll start going in September. I think you were a little nervous at first, but then we toured one of the K4 classrooms where you sat right down and started playing at a couple different tables, so you fit right in. Then you got to listen to a story in the library and have a snack before we left, which you loved. I was practically on the verge of tears the whole time envisioning you going off to school all by yourself, but I think you’re going to have a great time.
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May 13, 2014
You and Lana are so sick right now with a miserable cough. Both of you coughed until you threw up last night, and you’re still coughing. Hopefully the doctor can figure out what’s making you guys so sick when we go this afternoon. I hate seeing you feel terrible like this.
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May 31, 2014
For about the past month to month and a half now, you’ve been able to write your name all by yourself. And within just the past couple weeks you’ve learned to make your A the correct way, instead of making an H with a little hat on. I’m so proud of you!
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June 1, 2014
Happy 46 month birthday! I know no one counts months at this age anymore, but I can’t help but think of your “x-month birthday” every 1st of the month. I love you, peanut! And just today you reminded me that you are my sweet pea or peanut or pee wee, not baby girl, as I called Lana at dinner time.
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June 12, 2014
You had so much fun on our WI vacation – namely helping Aunt Jeanne feed the birds and Oakley at their house, then jumping on the beds in the hotels. Your new favorite thing is “I can do it myself.” As in when we washed our hands after the million pit stops we made this past week on our trip, you wanted to do the water, soap, and drying all by yourself, often trying to reach farther than your tip-toes would allow. You’re so cute and getting to be such a big girl.
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June 27, 2014
Big day for you yesterday – Daddy got you a big-kid bike the other day and got training wheels for it yesterday, so you took your first “real” bike ride last night! You did a great job, and I’m sure it’ll be no time before those training wheels come right back off.
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July 1, 2014
1 month from today you turn 4 years old! Wow. That means I’ve also been writing this page for you for almost 3 years now. Double wow.
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August 1, 2014
Happy 4th Birthday, Della Jolee!!!!! I am in much less pain than I was 4 years ago at this time. And you are growing into the most wonderful, amazing, fantastic little girl I have ever known.
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August 10, 2014
You are such a sweet girl. The other day you apologized to me for Lana not listening. And today when you woke up, I heard you singing in your bedroom, “Canada! Canada! C-A-N-A-D-A!” because we leave today to start our trip up there for the year. You’re going to have so much fun!
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August 28, 2014
Yesterday about blew my mind. It was meet and greet night at your new school so we could find your room, meet your teacher, and drop off your school supplies. Just the fact that you’re going to be walking into a school, with a backpack, using school supplies boggles my mind. You’re only 4! My little baby girl 4!
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September 1, 2014
I absolutely cannot wrap my head around the fact that tonight is the last night of your whole life without school. Yes, there will be years in a few decades when you’re completely finished with school, but never again after tonight will you not know it. I can’t believe it. You’re very excited and I know will be fine, but I’m so not ready for this. I don’t want to let go of you, even though it’s so much fun watching you learn and grow. Good luck, my sweet baby girl. I’m so very proud of you, and I’m sure this will be a lot of fun, once I can see it all again through my tears.
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September 3, 2014
So far, so good with K4. And amazingly enough, I haven’t cried once. Granted we’re only 2 days in and both have been half days for you so far with me at the school both days, but I’m pretty sure you’re loving it. On the walk home today with Grandma and Lana, you said, “I love going to school.” Tomorrow is your first full 3-hour day, and I just hope I get us there on time by 8:15. I’m so proud of you, sweet pea!
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September 4, 2014
Your first full day of school is in the books, and I’m pretty sure you like it. You love telling us everything you did, and today you said there was even a Frozen video playing on the big screen. I’m not sure what that is, but I know if it’s anything Frozen, you were in heaven. I still can’t get over the sight of your tiny little self standing in a line outside your gigantic school, knowing that’s where you’ll spend so much of your life these next couple years, but at least we’re off to a good start. Let’s hope the rest of your time there is equally as happy!
I did get teary as Lana and I drove away by ourselves this morning, but I’m still surprised I haven’t fully cried letting you go.
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September 21, 2014
This morning you said how you’re such a good big sister to Lana because you’re 4 now. Peanut, you have always been an incredible big sister, and I’m sure you always will be, no matter your age.
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September 23, 2014
You took a big tumble on your bike on the way to school today and were inconsolable afterwards. I didn’t think I was going to get you to stop crying by the time you lined up with your class to go in, but fortunately you settled down a little when we got to school and could wipe your nose and tears. You weren’t even hurt, just scared, and once you get like that it’s nearly impossible to stop the flow of tears. Just now, though, you finished your first homework assignment and you couldn’t be prouder. You guys had to decorate a superhero silhouette your teacher sent home last week, because you made superhero capes and masks in school to bring home. They’re going to put each student’s picture on the heads, so you just had to decorate the rest. Great job!
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October 6, 2014
You guys have been working on superheros at school – the first week you came home with paper capes and masks, then you had to decorate a paper superhero that your teachers were going to put your faces on. Today at lunch you told me that your superhero’s powers are saving people and making sure people don’t get hurt. I love that! You are such a wonderful kid.
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October 29, 2014
I had your first parent-teacher conference at school this morning, and you got a glowing review. Yesterday you had in-class assessments, and you scored above-average for everything. You got all of your uppercase letters correct, you got all but 1 of your lowercase ones (you flipped the b and d), you correctly made the sound of the letter when looking at the letters for more than they aimed for, you scored well on rhyming, and you got everything correct where you had to identify the first letter of each word. Your teacher said you’re great at the literacy centers, you always raise your hand and want to participate when your class does the math centers up on the smartboard, and you’ve opened up a lot since the beginning of the year. She said they love having you in class, and I said you still respond with a resounding “Everything!” when I ask you daily what your favorite part of school was that day. I could not be prouder, sweet pea.
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November 3, 2014
You have become quite the coloring phenom lately. You got a blank notebook a few weeks ago, and ever since, you have been busily coloring pictures in it, writing all our names, and practicing your letters and numbers. I’m very impressed!
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November 4, 2014
Last night as I was rocking Lana for a minute before putting her to bed, you came in the room, saying you wanted to give her one more hug and kiss. You leaned in and told her, “I love you, Lana. You’re my best friend.” How in the world did I get so lucky?
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November 14, 2014
Here are the stats from your 4 year checkup, which was back on November 5:
- Height: 43″ (92%)
- Weight: 37.5 lbs. (60%)
- Vision: 20/20
- Hearing: Pass