Four
Our baby girl is four years old! I'm not sure when that happened, because in my head she's going to be two years old forever. She hasn't changed too much in the last year, so this forever-two theory is just plausible enough for it to surprise me every time she says she is four. But I suppose she has to grow up sometime. And we're just starting to see the outlines of the big kid who will be firmly established in a year or so.
Our girl is an enigma when it comes to new experiences. Usually she's a total wuss. Then sometimes she'll surprise us with the most dogged determination to try something. She won't jump off the dock into water two feet deep, but she'll go tubing behind the boat and even show off by doing "no hands, ma!" Once she decides she's going to do something (and like it), she's going to do it, come hell or high water. Same deal with new foods. She assumes she is going to hate everything and refuses to eat most of what we make for her. But if we can get her to try something, she often loves it and it becomes her new favorite thing. Like the time she finally got over her refusal to try my moules marinières and then ate two pounds of them.
The kids take turns being the most challenging, and it's Ingrid's turn at bat. We keep telling her that she is four now and can't act like a threenager any longer, but she just can't help flipping out about small things.
She also dishes up some comically obvious falsehoods. For instance, she told Aunt Julia that (1) she and I bake cookies every day, (2) she always gets to taste the ingredients and dough as much as she wants, and (3) if kids don't eat their cookies, then they don't get to eat their vegetables. She also gives Ms. Sherri credit for justifying her requests. I'm pretty sure no Montessori teacher ever has said we all get to eat our cookies naked on the counter.
The kid has style. Going out anywhere requires Getting Dressed. I don't even try to dress her anymore. And while I miss her adorable matching toddler outfits, you have to appreciate her twist on things. Today we walked to the market and she packed a backpack containing her ballet outfit, Elsa shoes, and a sweater, just in case. Ready for anything. Like a four-year-old female Bear Grylls.
She has been showing Heidi a lot of attention lately and it is paying off. Heidi has been madly in love with Ingrid. She's the first person Heidi asks for when she wakes up. They both like to pile on Dad in a mess of adorable blondness.
She tries really hard to keep up with Henry's running and climbing. She gets hurt about 90% of the time. Then again, she also gets hurt from walking in proximity to walls, floors, and furniture. But she is getting more dextrous as she moves from awkward toddler to little kid, and bless her heart, she just keeps trying.
Ingrid's new big-kid ballet class starts next weekend and she is really excited about it. She hasn't shown any interest in taking up other activities (A-OK with me!). Her favorite ways to spend time inside are playing with her dolls and doing art. Grandma Jane took her to the American Girl store for her birthday and she wanted to buy everything.
Though she will listen when Karl reads chapter books to Henry, on her own she prefers picture books. She still "reads" to herself often. She's also trying hard to memorize some of Heidi's favorite books so she can read to her sister.
Her best buddies at school are Lauren and Caroline, but she has always preferred our home friends -- the neighbors' kids and the children of my friends. Our friends the Skidmores moved away a couple months ago and Ingrid really misses Julia. She also still asks for Lily and CateCate, who left town a year ago. She likes to visit Drew and Ginny down the block and to have scooter races with Eli from next door.
I think if she had been the oldest child, she would still be napping. But since Henry doesn't nap, she will not tolerate being put in her room for naptime like a baby. But she will just curl up somewhere and doze for half an hour if she's tired. She has always been unusually good at minding her physical needs -- and at ignoring everyone else around her. Henry and Heidi can't shut off from whatever everyone else is doing; they have to go through the bedtime routine to separate crazy-activity time from hard-sleeping time. Neither of the other kids would ever do this:
Alas, she's also the only kid waking us up at night. She comes in at least once a night, and sometimes more often. She doesn't seem scared or upset. I think she just can't go more than four hours without cuddling someone.
She had a great extended birthday month with three parties. We had a combination birthday party for Grandpa Bob (90), cousin Derek (21), cousin Nona (1), and Ingrid while we were in Minneapolis en route to the cabin. Then we celebrated Ingrid and Nona at the cabin with marble cake and frosting flowers. Then rounded things up with an end-of-summer mermaid/rainbow-themed party at our pool with our neighborhood friends, school friends, plus Grandma Jane and Grandpa Alan and Uncle Matt. This was the first year Ingrid cared about the celebrations at all, which made everything more fun.
Happy birthday to our magical little lady!
Our girl is an enigma when it comes to new experiences. Usually she's a total wuss. Then sometimes she'll surprise us with the most dogged determination to try something. She won't jump off the dock into water two feet deep, but she'll go tubing behind the boat and even show off by doing "no hands, ma!" Once she decides she's going to do something (and like it), she's going to do it, come hell or high water. Same deal with new foods. She assumes she is going to hate everything and refuses to eat most of what we make for her. But if we can get her to try something, she often loves it and it becomes her new favorite thing. Like the time she finally got over her refusal to try my moules marinières and then ate two pounds of them.
She also dishes up some comically obvious falsehoods. For instance, she told Aunt Julia that (1) she and I bake cookies every day, (2) she always gets to taste the ingredients and dough as much as she wants, and (3) if kids don't eat their cookies, then they don't get to eat their vegetables. She also gives Ms. Sherri credit for justifying her requests. I'm pretty sure no Montessori teacher ever has said we all get to eat our cookies naked on the counter.
The kid has style. Going out anywhere requires Getting Dressed. I don't even try to dress her anymore. And while I miss her adorable matching toddler outfits, you have to appreciate her twist on things. Today we walked to the market and she packed a backpack containing her ballet outfit, Elsa shoes, and a sweater, just in case. Ready for anything. Like a four-year-old female Bear Grylls.
 |
| Gotta have boots for the petting barn. |
She has been showing Heidi a lot of attention lately and it is paying off. Heidi has been madly in love with Ingrid. She's the first person Heidi asks for when she wakes up. They both like to pile on Dad in a mess of adorable blondness.
 |
| Big sister wuz heere |
She tries really hard to keep up with Henry's running and climbing. She gets hurt about 90% of the time. Then again, she also gets hurt from walking in proximity to walls, floors, and furniture. But she is getting more dextrous as she moves from awkward toddler to little kid, and bless her heart, she just keeps trying.
Ingrid's new big-kid ballet class starts next weekend and she is really excited about it. She hasn't shown any interest in taking up other activities (A-OK with me!). Her favorite ways to spend time inside are playing with her dolls and doing art. Grandma Jane took her to the American Girl store for her birthday and she wanted to buy everything.
Though she will listen when Karl reads chapter books to Henry, on her own she prefers picture books. She still "reads" to herself often. She's also trying hard to memorize some of Heidi's favorite books so she can read to her sister.
Her best buddies at school are Lauren and Caroline, but she has always preferred our home friends -- the neighbors' kids and the children of my friends. Our friends the Skidmores moved away a couple months ago and Ingrid really misses Julia. She also still asks for Lily and CateCate, who left town a year ago. She likes to visit Drew and Ginny down the block and to have scooter races with Eli from next door.
I think if she had been the oldest child, she would still be napping. But since Henry doesn't nap, she will not tolerate being put in her room for naptime like a baby. But she will just curl up somewhere and doze for half an hour if she's tired. She has always been unusually good at minding her physical needs -- and at ignoring everyone else around her. Henry and Heidi can't shut off from whatever everyone else is doing; they have to go through the bedtime routine to separate crazy-activity time from hard-sleeping time. Neither of the other kids would ever do this:
Alas, she's also the only kid waking us up at night. She comes in at least once a night, and sometimes more often. She doesn't seem scared or upset. I think she just can't go more than four hours without cuddling someone.
She had a great extended birthday month with three parties. We had a combination birthday party for Grandpa Bob (90), cousin Derek (21), cousin Nona (1), and Ingrid while we were in Minneapolis en route to the cabin. Then we celebrated Ingrid and Nona at the cabin with marble cake and frosting flowers. Then rounded things up with an end-of-summer mermaid/rainbow-themed party at our pool with our neighborhood friends, school friends, plus Grandma Jane and Grandpa Alan and Uncle Matt. This was the first year Ingrid cared about the celebrations at all, which made everything more fun.
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