Loving… You love EVERYTHING. And people notice. And comment. You are excited about life, and it's contagious. You walk through life with a smile on your face. This makes those around you smile.
Hating… I am not so sure you *hate* anything other than heights but let's see, what do you whine about…hmmm…You whine about your sleeves or socks being bunched up or not comfortable. You whine about having to eat supper. You whine about your brother, a lot actually. All typical five year old guy stuff.
Eating… Your appetite ebbs and flows. You went through a big eating phase recently but now you'd be content to eat like a bird again. And you're pretty much into the dramatics of "hating" everything on your plate. You do like burgers, and really just want the patty not the bun. You like apples and have recently discovered you like carrot sticks. Oh, I guess I should also mention you eat s-l-o-w-l-y. I actually think you'd eat a lot more if you'd just hush it and eat OR if everyone sat at the table for two hours. The other day you explained you were so hungry at school but couldn't finish your apples because you didn't want to be the last person sitting at the table. I am sure you talk nonstop at the school lunch table.
Reading… Can I tell you how much joy it brings to Dada and me to see you so interested in books and so curious about the information contained on the pages. You are well aware of the idea that just about anything you want to know can be found in a book. (Although we do sit and research your questions on the internet pretty frequently as well.) You always come home with some tidbit of information you remember from the story at school.
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| Freddie with straight hair, his bud with curly hair |
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| T-Rex |
Writing…. We are in the phase of wanting to know "what this spells" and "how do you spell." You are pretty good with sounding things out with me, but a lot of the time you really just want to cut out that part and get to the important info. You know how to write all of your letters, although sometimes you ask just for reassurance (attention? conversation?) You tend to avoid the writing center at school, which I get. Your teacher presents the project to you as an option, and so you politely "opt out." She seems confused by this so I told her phrasing it as "Hey Freddie, do you want to come sit with me at the writing center?" will always be met with a "No, thanks. I want to play in the block area." I'm not sure it is the preschool's philosophy to require writing, but you'll definitely have to do it in kindergarten. And I know you'll do well once you know what is really expected.
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| Writing thank you notes |
Drawing… You have become a prolific artist, brining home multiple illustrations from school each day. You'll often ask for paper and crayons at home to draw pictures for Dada. Some of your drawings are of people and they typically include a round head with eyes with pupils, round body with a belly button, two legs, sometimes two arms, and sometimes hair. You usually add in an identifying characteristic as well, such as your friend Taor's curly hair. Boats, rainbows, hearts, cars, houses, gardens, dinosaurs….you draw it all, mostly using just one or two colors or using a pencil. Your signature drawing for me is a few figures to represent our family surrounded by hearts. I get one of these little drawing about once a week. And NOTHING can be thrown away!
Playing with…. You really enjoy building right now. The blocks and magna tiles and legos get the most use of all the toys in the house, currently. You are also interested in board games and card games., wanting to play Go Fish over and over and over. Having Hans around makes playing these games a little difficult though. You're starting to understand strategies for games like Blokus and Go Fish. Doing the puzzles that are often on in your magazines and kids' menus and tic tac toe are also "must dos" in your book.
Wearing…. Size 4-5 in tops and bottoms, size 10 shoe. You're thin so slims work best. Thankfully you're not really picky about what you wear and you're still more than ok with mama selecting all of your clothes. You definitely set up some guidelines…you like shirts with "stuff on them" and you are not into turtlenecks or anything close to your neck. You love to hear how "handsome" you look when you put on a collared shirt and comb your hair.
Watching…. You watch one or two shows a day some days and some days none at all. Your current favorites are all PBS shows…Super Why, Word Girl, and Wild Kratts. You've seen a few movies in the theater and every once in a while we'll try them at home but you really do not like conflict or death and are very sensitive. We can't watch
The Lion King because the thought of the father lion dying brings you to tears. I love hear the belly laughs when we watch anything Charlie Brown as Snoopy cracks you up.
Stalling…. Oh man can you stall sometimes. Getting you dressed can be like pulling teeth. You spend forever in the bathroom all by yourself dilly dallying around. I mean, I'm talking like 30 minutes or more just to get yourself dressed. I had to relegate your dressing to the bathroom because it is just best if I don't see you fooling around. I thought there'd be fewer distractions in the bathroom as well, but apparently not.
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| "Spring" training. You'll be playing baseball in April |
Sneaking….You have just begun testing out hiding things in your shirt that you shouldn't have and walking past me to bring it to a private location to examine. I'm not talking about matches or cans of beers, but one morning this week it was a tiny brush I had on the counter which I specifically asked you not to play with. I try not to make a major deal out of these things although I do spout off a short snippet about honesty. You get the same talk when I ask you about eating your lunch and I sense you perhaps tossed something and just want to tell me you ate it. I explain it is important to tell the truth and accept the consequences that come with it.
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| Keeping score (Being bossy) |
Talking about… Oh my god, you can talk child. You do not stop. You go on and on and on. I have a feeling tis is the cause of you not being able to eat your lunch at school. It certainly means we have some long "leisurely" suppers because you have lots to say about your day, your friends, the weather, something you noticed on the train, an interesting fact from a book. I think Hans is following in your footsteps because the two of you battle for airtime at the supper table. You talk. A lot.
Singing…. Music is on in our house a lot. There are time when it is quiet, but for the most part something is playing in the background. Often if a song comes on that you like you will run over to the iPod to check out who the artist is. You recognize the album covers from your favorite musicians. Recently I've been trying to play more classics…The Beatles and Queen are popular with you but you'll recognize Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. I love when you let me know we're listening to "Jazz," or even better, "New Orleans music" which is how you refer to funk. You're still a big fan of reggae and I can't say I blame you because it is about as close to a beachy slow paced vibe we get in this city.
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| Morning snuggles |
Sleeping…. You sleep hard. You snore. You are asleep before your head hits the pillow. You are generally sleeping from 7.30pm-7.00am, and I think you'd sleep more if you didn't hear every sound from our tiny apartment in your room. The days wear you out. I'm glad you are physically and mentally exhausted each day. Some days I think you'd probably nap if you'd slow down just for a minute. On those nights when you are really tired, you snore, and I mean you SNORE. You still have Tigey with you each night, asking for him if he isn't in bed already.
Feelings about his family…. Freddie you are so affectionate and loving. I hope you always give Mama a kiss first thing in the morning. I love seeing you hug Hans goodbye each morning at school. Hearing you say "I love you, and Hans, and Dada so, so, so much" makes my heart explode each and every time. And you say it pretty regularly. Now don't get me wrong, you can give me some sass and run off to your room in a wailing mess of tears and you're quick to clobber your brother when's he's aggravating you and those things happen more frequently than I'd like but I know it is all part of growing up and doesn't tarnish your loving, affectionate way.
Correcting…. You are a know it all. I'll leave it at that for now but I know there will be many battles relating to this in our future. I do not look forward to doing homework with you, especially considering this week you insisted I didn't know how to write the number seven properly.
Freddie, you are so excited about being 5, and I am so excited for you. I've loved watching and getting to know you as a 4 year old and I know 5 is going to be awesome as well. I look at you each day and think how lucky we are to share this life with you. You bring so much joy to me and Dada and all who love you. Happy birthday, Freddie Boo.
