Four years old!

I'm late in doing so, but it's time for an official post now that Thomas is four years old!


Four years since we first brought our little boy home.

3 days old



And then he was ONE...


And then one ever-so-quickly became TWO...


Then after a doozy of a year with a newborn and a 2 year old, two became THREE...


And now he is four.  Our baby boy is FOUR!


The time does pass so quickly.  I'm not quite sure where to start with our four year old.  I guess I'll go with what people notice about him first...he smiles a lot and he talks a lot.  :)  He is very friendly.  My dad says Thomas has inherited his "never met a stranger" attitude from his other grandfather, his Umpa (my father-in-law).  He says it's the "Hambone" in him.  I'd say that he probably gets this trait from both his friendly grandfathers.  :)

Thomas does not let anyone pass him by without saying hello.  His teachers tell me that he tells the funniest stories at school and he always makes them laugh.  I wish I had a better memory and I could share some of these stories here.  All I remember is that he makes me laugh too.  THe other day he had some story and it was one his that started, "A long, long time ago...that's what they did.  That was when Jesus was walking around."  I think it was something about dump trucks and houses.  He cracks me up sometimes.

Oh, and I don't think I ever shared in here this story.  At school the class has pictures the students drew in the hallway.  At the top the teachers had the children each finish this sentence: "A farmer is_______."  Thomas said, "A farmer is a wife who drives a tractor."  Not sure what that is about, but it did make me giggle--especially considering that I drove a truck in high school, and a friend told me once that "a woman with power is one who drives a truck"...or in this case, a tractor.  :)

Verbally, he seems to be right where he should be, if not beyond.  We're still trying to get him to write his letters (and hold a pencil correctly), but he just isn't all that interested.  He can write some of the letters in his name, like "T."  This summer we are going to have some extensive tutoring sessions to work on this skill. 

From talking to his teachers, I think the hardest thing for him next year will be realizing that it's time for school to be more about learning and less about playing.  He loves to play.  I think the reason he's not better about writing his letters is because he doesn't want to stop playing long enough to learn.  His art projects have improved throughout the year, but it used to be that I could easily pick his out of the bunch because it was the one with the least amount of actual drawing.  But he is slowly enjoying these projects more, even if it means he has to stop playing for a short while. 

He's still not a great eater, though he could be if I'd let him live off fruit snacks, pizza and oatmeal raisin cookies all day.  :)  He also enjoys a Chick-Fil-A sandwich and a little burrito at Moe's.  He still doesn't like milk, even though most mornings I force him to have a little on his cereal.  Though no matter what the cereal, he generally won't eat anymore of it once he gets to the bottom and he can see all the milk.  I'm realizing that he's just not much of a breakfast eater, like his Daddy. Dinners can take forever as well, but he usually will eat what is asked of him...though sometimes with great protest and a lot of time! 

Thomas loves to be outside.  He loves to ride his bike and has nearly worn the back tire of his bike bald from his love of riding fast ("Rocket power!" he exclaims!) and then slamming on the brakes so he skids and leaves a long black mark on the sidewalk.  He also still enjoys driving his Power Wheels jeep.  He really likes it now that I've let him drive it around the block (with me following, of course).  He drives his brother around, then we stop at his buddy Jack's house.  Then the two of them ride their power wheels all around the yard chasing each other and playing bumper cars. 

We don't let him watch a signficant amount of television, but he does enjoy the hour or so he is allowed every day.  He usually chooses to watch Dora the Explorer while he is waiting for Parker to wake up from his nap and I am preparing for dinner.  He's actually learned some Spanish words from watching the show so I guess it's not so bad.  He still loves watching the movie Cars whenever he has the chance. 

Speaking of cars, he still loves any and all things with wheels.  Lately he's been getting into Thomas & Friends trains and we've been slowly building onto his set.  He likes to make really long trains and gets very upset if Parker so much as considers taking one of them away. 

Discipline has been a bit of a challenge lately.  He talks back far more often than we would like and chooses not to listen whenever he is not in the mood.  He hates time outs and gets very upset when we take his favorite toys away from him.  You'd think that would be enough incentive not to misbehave, but apparently it is not. 



We also did just take away his paci and that has introduced a new level of behavioral problems, but I hope it is temporary.  He is coming into our bed every single night after we have all gone to sleep, and sometimes I go and get in his bed so I can stretch out more, but we're just letting him for now while he deals with life without paci.  :)  Without pacis, it's a little harder to reinforce his afternoon rest time, but I'm still trying to get a least one hour every afternoon that he spends alone in his room.  To that end, we are trying to improve his bedroom and make it a great place for him to play. 

He loves his brother (most of the time) and loves to play with him. Lately they really have been playing together so well and I look at them and think, "This is why we have two children two years apart!" It's good for them and it's good for us because they can entertain themselves! Sometimes they do fight, as all siblings do, but they also adore each other and when one is sad about something, the other one is too. And when Thomas gets put in time out, Parker promptly goes and sits right next to him, and usually gives him a hug too.

It is so hard to believe it has already been four years. It makes me sad to think that the next four will go by just as quick, if not even moreso. And then the next four and the next four...I can't even think of it! Despite the times that he really ruffles our feathers, he brings so much joy to our lives. He is such a tremendous blessing, as all children are, but I can't help but think of that awful night, November 15, 2005. On that night I was 16 weeks, 3 days into my pregnancy with him and I found myself in the ER. Soon after I was checked in to the hospital and admitted to the Labor & Delivery ward and told by my dear doctor that in all likelihood (over 95% chance), he would not survive. And yet, here I am, four and a half years later with a healthy, thriving child. It's a good thing God knows things that doctors and modern medicine do and can not. We are so blessed.

I look forward to all the joy the next four years, and beyond, will bring.