3.5

This update is even later than average, but being late means I can definitively say Heidi is closer to four than three, and it really shows.  Threenager crazy is fading.  Heidi had a great summer and might have been the most reasonable child in the house for most of August.  

I have recently noticed several small accomplishments that are allowing her to be more independent: she can head-to-toe dress herself, get her own water, and open the baby gates.  Seems like small things but we had so many freak-outs about these things last spring.  And she actually does them without being reminded she can.  Certain of her older siblings will still whine, "I'm thiiiiiirsty," until my raised eyebrow reminds them they can get their own freaking water.  So it sometimes surprises me to look up and see Heidi filling her own cup at the fridge.  

Trying to keep up with Ingrid causes the most freak-outs.  Heidi so desperately wants to do what Ingrid does and go where Ingrid goes.  Usually she can, but sometimes Ingrid wants to do something alone, or Heidi just isn't old enough to sign up, or I can't drop everything and walk her down the block to catch up with the older girls.  

Back-to-school has gone very well.  Her teacher left unexpectedly over the summer and her replacement won't start for two more weeks.  I feared it might be a major crisis but Heidi took it in stride.  It helped that Henry and Ingrid got new teachers too, so she accepted the teacher switch as normal.  She is happy to be doing the morning commute with Grandma Carol again (though no longer strictly necessary).  Liv is still her best buddy, and they have adopted new girl, Daisy, which Heidi told me is "just like Betsy and Tacy were friends and then they got Tib too."

The dance class she was so excited about started this week.  Alas, she flat-out refused to go when she realized neither Nona nor I would be in the class with her.  I bet she will come back around to dance.  Her movements and mannerisms are perfect for it.  She's ready to star in a Fosse show at any moment.  

She rocked her swim lessons in June and was a little fish all summer.  Lessons made her so comfortable in the water that she just wanted to swim and swim.  We practiced and practiced jumping off the wall and swimming to me, or turning around and getting back to the wall.  By the end of the summer she could jump off and swim the breadth of two full lap lanes to reach me!  She learned just like Henry did: minimal instruction, then just jump in and go for it.  

She also had her first dentist visit this summer.  Totally rocked it.  The dentist said she had the best bite and spacing of all the kids but probably ought to stop sucking her thumb this year.

We visited with her interim teacher yesterday and she commented that Heidi is such a helper.  She's always happy to get something or hand something or show someone.  We see that at home too; she's almost always the first to pitch in when I ask for help (unless the thing that would be most helpful is for her to calm the heck down, in which case, no).  But she is always willing to help with Fritz, who is still her very own baby.

Heidi does everything with gusto.  Laughs, hugs, screams -- Heidi's are intense.  There is so much emotion crammed into her tiny, willowy body.  I'm glad I can still easily scoop all that Heidi into my lap and squeeze it tightly.