It amazes me how quickly time passes by. It feels like such a short time ago that I was pregnant for the first time and anticipating the birth of my daughter and now today she turns four! What can I say about Madeline that hasn't already been said? She is a spitfire, she is energetic, outgoing, and kind hearted. She is strong willed and sensitive, smart and has no boundaries. Maddie is good at problem solving, serving her time in discipline and an excellent hugger. She never ceases to amaze me with the things that come out of her mouth!
I can't believe how big she has gotten. Maddie no longer resembles a baby or toddler in any sense! She is tall and getting lean. She has huge feet and is really very strong for her size. The girl has boundless energy and never seems to stop moving, except for when she is sleeping, and she sleeps deeply! She also has turned into quite an eater.....I guess to keep up her energy. She went through a picky stage this year where she informed us that she didn't like anything, but she's since come out of it and now always tries things. Her most favorite things to eat are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese and pickles and if you ever ask her what she wants to eat for a meal she'll tell you exactly that! She also likes anything sweet.....cake and ice cream being at the top of her list. We are still having a hard time keeping Maddie in clothes and shoes that fit her. It amazes me how quickly she outgrows pants and shoes! She is currently in 6x clothing and size 11-12 shoes. I don't have stats on how much she weighs and how tall she is, but Dan and I can attest to the fact that she is huge (tall enough to ride adult carnival rides) and seriously heavy.
It's really exciting to watch as Maddie learns. She is really smart and her brain works in a completely different way than mine does.....she is totally like her dad in this aspect! She likes to know how things work and has a very analytical mind. She picks up on sequencing and rules very quickly and is very good at following directions.....when she wants to. I really feel like she is going to excel in her studies as she gets older, but I'm also seeing quite a little artist coming out in her. She likes painting and drawing and really enjoys sculpture. She also has been very interested in photography and constantly wants to use my camera, which honestly terrifies me. I think we need to get her a digital camera of her very own that she can actually learn the art of photography on. Maddie knows all the typical things that she is supposed to know at this age.....very basic addition, easy spelling, how to write her name and she is getting very close to learning how to read. She has a serious memory on her and not only does she never forget things you tell her, but she can also memorize an entire book after just a couple readings. We should probably work more with her on academic things, but I really feel strongly that kids only get one childhood, and they have years and years to learn academically......she should be spending this time in her life acting like a child and having fun. Plus, there is plenty of learning going on through play.
Maddie has grown into such a wonderfully caring girl. I've watched her become a gentle (most of the time) and loving big sister and I can't wait to see her with another baby in the house. She is extremely helpful to me and will almost always do tasks for me, especially when my requests are prefaced with "will you do me a favor," for some reason she really likes that. You can get the child to do ANYTHING with a bribe of sweets....even a couple chocolate chips will get her to accomplish the hardest tasks, but she also really loves to be praised and told that she is a big girl and great helper. Maddie is in that stage where she likes to be involved in everything that I'm doing, even cleaning! So, I've been trying to use this willingness to help to my advantage and teaching her how to do small household chores. She has learned to fold (mostly blankets and towels) and vacuum and we've been having both girls clean up their bedroom and the TV room every night before bed.
It has been a joy to have Madeline in our family. She brings enthusiasm and high energy to our household. She is sensitive to the people around her and she genuienly cares about her family. I can't believe that time has passed so quickly and my first born baby is four already, but I have a feeling that every year of her life will feel like that. My prayer for Maddie is that she learns patience this 4th year of her life. That God works in her life and expands on her natural ability to love and show compassion. And I pray that she will always know how much her family loves and appreciates her!
Favorites:
Food: Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and cheese
Drink: Chocolate milk
Toy: Pet shop (she got today for her b-day)
Outside activity: Play on swing set
Inside activity: Watching TV
Treat: Lolly pops
Movie: Mickey Mouse movies (the old ones)
Song: Victor Vito
TV show: Phineas and Pherb
Word: All of them
Animal: Elephant
Outfit: Pony shirt and lucky pants (and underwear)
Place: School
Book: Eloise books
Shoes: Croc sandals
Season: Winter
Color: Pink
Cartoon character: Phineas and Pherb
Game: Candyland
Candy: Chocolate
Restaurant: Chuck E Cheese
Happy birthday my sweet growing girl! May this year be your best yet!
1 comment:
This blog was so sweet! I almost cried reading it. Maddie is so beautiful, and it seems like yesterday we were in connect group and she was a little baby. I agree with you about kids learning so much through play. I had to argue that in a Child Development class a few years ago. Our professor made us write an argumentative paper to a parent that came in a classroom claiming all the kids did was play in preschool and did not learn anything. Tell Maddie we said Happy Birthday!
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