The BIG day (and all the surrounding events)

Dear Parker,

We all survived your 5th birthday!  I think you had a really great day.  We had set up your presents the night before, so when you got up you found your scooter and rode it around the house until we made you stop to eat breakfast.  Then, I took you to school where Grandma Sharp and Aunt Lauren stayed after drop-off to help you make a cake at school.  Then,  Mom was able to come in and have lunch with you and Grandma and Lauren returned to eat your cake!  Whew!  What a busy day.

Grandma brought you home and you played with Grace for awhile and after they left, we opened your presents.  You seemed to be most excited about a Hello Kitty travel mug, Doc McStuffins pjs and a stuffed 'Lambie' from the Doc McStuffins show.  Since then, however, you have really gotten into the Rummy game and the "Junie B. Jones" book.  (We actually finished the book and had to buy a second one!)

Your birthday party with your friends was yesterday.  You and your friends had a such a fun time decorating your doctor coats, making your animals and giving them check-ups.  When it was all over, we came home and crashed!

Today you started piano lessons (part of your birthday gift)  You were a little nervous, but seemed to do a good job.  You are seeming to remember how many beats whole, half and quarter notes get.  That's a good start.  We'll see if I can get you to practice playing "Middle C" all week.  LOL

Anyway, I know this is a bit choppy, but I'm getting back into the swing of things, so give me a bit.

I love you so much.  In one month, we will be in DisneyWorld.  I hope it's all I've made it to be in my mind.

Well, goodnight for now, baby girl!
I love you.

A year later.....

Dear Parker,

I have been entirely neglect about writing you letters during your 5^th year, but I was reminiscing the other day, so I am going to try to start again.  Here goes.

Tomorrow you will be 5.  It’s cliché, but I have no idea where the time has gone.  I can’t even believe it.  At least you aren’t in kindergarten – yet.  ;-)

Since it’s been forever, I’m just going to jot down some things about you right now.

*Bug bites.  You hate them.  They hate you.  They will swell up, cause bruising and blister.  In fact, we took you to the doctor yesterday because we were so worried about one on your foot.

*5 year appointment stats:

Height: 45 ¾ inches (95^th percentile)

Weight: 43.6 pounds (50^th percentile)

BMI: 25^th percentile

Not sure where you found the tall and skinny gene, but I’m glad you did!

*School.  You LOVE The Orchard School.  You LOVE your teachers and your friends and all the fun things you get to do at school.  So far this year you have brought home the Sound Bucket (for the letter “P”) and this week you have the estimation jar, in which you chose to put 9 tiny hair ties.  You were very cute going around the house filling that bucket with words that begin with “p.”

*Favorites

            Color – Pink.  Duh, but I think purple may be a close second

            Game – Hide and Seek

            Activity - Playing babies.  You love it.  We all hate it, but participate anyway.

            Board Game – Not sure you have a favorite, but you like all games.  You received “Sorry” for your birthday and we have played it at least every day since then.

            Meal – Breakfast for dinner (pancakes and bacon). 

            Food – Not sure. You love those “choose-your-flavor-add-your-toppings” frozen yogurt places.  But, you also love pink chewy candy (Starbursts etc.)

            Clothes – Comfy clothes and skirts/dresses.  You will wear jeans or pants, but you like them to be tight (leggings or jeggings)

*You are really into collections of stories or chapter books right now.  You like marking the place at night and picking up again the next evening.

*You currently have 5 fish (Gigi – still kickin’ from your 3^rd birthday, Stripey/Tigger  - you can’t decide on a name, Sunny, and “the colorfuls.”)

*Part of your birthday gift is piano lessons.  I think you will be really excited, you've been asking for a long time and have learned to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (and are very proud of that.)

*Tonight in the bath you were singing a song in which you bade farewell to your "4's."  It was pretty funny.  You are pretty amazing.  I'm going to return to writing you more often. 

I love you.  I hope you have an amazing birthday.  

Reading-n-stuff

Dear Parker,

For the last several months (maybe close to a year) you have liked playing word games - rhyming games particularly.  Then, started becoming interested in spelling.  You frequently spell something out and ask what it spells or ask how to spell certain words.  Then, you started playing this "game" with us where we will write down an ending like "at" on a piece of paper and then add beginning sounds to make words.  Surprisingly to us, you could sound out words like, "bat, cat" etc.  I was excited!  Then, last night at dinner, we were playing a game on your pre-made placemat and Mom asked if you knew one of the words that was on it.  To our surprise, you correctly responded, "cat."  Then you did the same for "dog."  You have some sight words!  I was very excited.  Sometimes, I get pretty sad about you growing up, but other times I'm so excited about all the things you are learning that I can barely stand it!

And - a random story about your perception of where babies come from.  We were driving home from school one day and you mentioned that you had lots of kids.  Then you said that you and Allie's dad adopted them because they didn't have any parents to take care of them.  You continued with "So, we just did lots of doctor stuff and paid lots of money and adopted them.  Now we have no money.  But, Allie's dad is at the store getting money."  HA!  You crack me up.  What a mixed idea of how people become a family.

I love you very much.  I have fall break coming up soon and I am excited to spend a little more time with you and at your school.

I love you, Bits!
Mommy

The best I can do

Dear Parker,

Since I've sort of failed at your baby book, I'm going to post these stats here so that I can look them up in the future, should the need arise.  I've actually already used this method and it's pretty effective.  So, you are now four and your stats are as follows:

Height 42.5" (95th percentile)

Weight 40lbs - with clothes on (90th percentile)

BMI - don't know the number  but 50th percentile.

You've grown more than last time - I think you were in the 80-something percentiles last time, but your BMI was in the 75th or something like that.  I suppose it doesn't really matter.

There you have it.  The doctor said you were good and developing as you should be.  :-)  I didn't take you, but Mom said you were a big girl and only got a little teary during your shots.  And - no more vaccinations until you are 11!  Woot!

Tomorrow is a normal day, but then Wednesday I get to come visit you for a little bit in the morning.  I'm excited (and oddly, a little nervous.)

I hope you are having fun at ballet with your Mom.

Love you,

Mommy

Seriously, You're 4?

Dear Parker,

Well.  You are officially older than I can handle.  Three and under was alright.  You were still a baby.  Nobody can say that a 4 year old is a baby.  I can't believe it has been 4 years since you came into our lives.  It feels like both forever and yesterday.  I think you had a pretty good birthday.  We had your party a couple of weekends before.  You chose a Super Why theme.  It was pretty fun.  Your Mom made an episode for you, Alex and Grace to be characters in.  Grandma Sharp made you super capes so you could transform.  I had a good time.  I think you did as well.

On your actual birthday, we opened one gift in the morning (the Annie Soundtrack) and then headed off to school.  You had a great day at school.  You got to wear a birthday crown and got a special Oreo cookie at lunch.  We went to dinner after school, came home opened presents and had cake.  You were a little cranky at dinner, but then perked up after you got some food in you.  It was a good day.

Today, we got your 4 year photos taken.  You had such a meltdown this morning.  You have these mosquito bites (which for you are horrible - they swell up to the size of your fist and appear to be painful) and you didn't sleep long enough.  I thought things were going to go horribly.  I'm not sure they were fabulous, but not horrible.  I hope we were able to get a couple cute ones from the bunch.  Anyway, you were going to wear a jean skirt, but your legs are disgusting right now (see above comment about mosquito bites) so we decided to wear jeans instead.  Holy Cow. You put on the jeans and suddenly you looked 13 years old.  It was crazy.  Stop growing up.  (Well, I'd be fine if you could grow out of the whining phase you are in, but beside that...)

Anyway, we have a pretty big week.  You have your 4 year well child visit Monday (lost of shots - sorry) as well as ballet.  Wednesday, I get to come to school with you for a bit in the morning and Friday is the Orchard Family Festival.  Then, Saturday, Mommy and Mom have to go to some swanky Orchard thing and you get to go hang with your current crush, Keegan, and your big kid friend Bailey.  I think you are going to be wiped out!

Here are some pics from your party and your birthday.  I love you, Parker.

Love,

Mommy

Very excited about your presents!

Transforming into a Super Reader

Check out this fan!

The Big "0-4"

Cupcake.  Nom. Nom. Nom.

Mommy and Parker at birthday dinner

You, Mom and your silly faces

Posing with some presents

Getting ready to sing and blow out the candles!

A Whole New Outlook

Dear Parker,

I am so incredibly happy.  We have found the perfect place for you.  You don't cry or get upset in the morning, you don't want to leave in the afternoon (even after being at school for nearly 9 hours), you have made friends (even if you can't remember all their names yet.)  At the end of the day you are happy - not exhausted and cranky.  You have an entirely different relationship with school than you did in June.  Maybe it's because you are 2 months older.  Maybe it's because The Orchard School is absolutely wonderful and it's the perfect fit for you.  I don't know entirely, but I know that on your 3rd day of school - after a weekend - you gladly hopped out the car on the curb to walk inside the building with a woman you had never met.  You weren't sad.  You didn't do it because I asked you.  (I was going to trek you in in the pouring rain even though I would have been late for school.)  You volunteered.  You gave me a quick hug and said, "Have a good day, Momma."  Then you were off.  Today, I walked in to pick you up.  You gave me a hug, but then said, "Can we stay? I want to sit on the circle rug."  Primrose gave you a great foundation for loving school, but this place is perfect.  I'm sure it won't always be smooth sailing, but right now, I could not be happier with the way things are going.  I'm SO proud of you for being such a big girl and adjusting so quickly and so well to your new school.

Here are some pics from the beginning of your year.

Proudly showing off your bag of pink rice for the sensory table

1st Day of School at Orchard!

You and Mrs. Foley on the first day

In a World of Pure Imagination

Dear Parker,

You have always had a good imagination, but lately it just seems out of control.  You spend all day pretending to be Allie's Mom (well, usually.  Sometimes, one of us has to be her Mom so that you can be someone else.)  You take her to the zoo, buy food there, go to see fireworks, change her diapers, take her to the doctor, to school - the possibilities are just endless.  Sometimes, you are the teacher or your own classroom.  I believe your children are: Cruter, Holly, Jolly, Polluter, Papooter, Allie and Leah.  Your children are never well behaved.  They fight and hit all day long.  (This concerns me a little.)  You stay in your persona all day long.

In the past couple of days, you have added in performing. You have been huge into making up your own songs lately, but since your recital, you are all about performing.  Tonight you put on a recital for us (complete with ballet shoes and one tap shoe since the other one was FAR too small).  You sang your own made up songs to go with your "dances."

Also, you have turned the Santa's Elves are watching thing against us.  Every time you do something good, you stop, get very serious and say, "I think I just saw an elf!  I bet he is going to go tell Santa I did _____."  Interestingly enough, the elves never show up when you aren't making the best choices.  Too smart, little girl.  Too smart.

Although, it can often get a little irritating when we are forced to participate in these elaborate worlds for hours on end, they are pretty hilarious.  You are pretty hilarious.  You are such a funny kid and I love spending this summer time with you.

3 more weeks. :-(

Love you so much,
Mommy