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Vivian at 4

Monday, June 5, 2017
Slowly getting back into the habit of documenting our lives and I wanted to do a quick update on Vivian! She turned 4(?!) early April and she is so much more of a handful then ever. It's so weird and cool and heartbreaking but amazing to see how shes changed when I look back to her newborn days, even just a year ago she was so different! 

She hasn't been to the pediatrician since her 3 year check up, but shes about 50 pounds and tall for her age. Seeing her around other kids her age and it's clear that she hasn't quite outgrown that "90th percentile" life that she's been in since birth quite yet ;). She love to play with her baby dolls, a basic "Baby Alive" doll (affectionately called open-mouth baby) , and her Bitty Baby (closed-mouth or big baby). She has some of her old clothes and some preemie clothes that we've collected from kid resale places and newborn cloth diapers that are constantly scattered about the house, but she loves to dress an undress them. When they cry she promtly picks them up and hushes them "shhh it's ok sweetie heart". She makes them pillows from dish towels, and makes sure they have plenty milk by nursing them or giving the occasional bottle when she needs the break. 

She also loves any toy set that has about 1 million tiny as heck pieces and play dough that somehow always ends up caked into her pants. 





Since it's summer here in Boise we've been trying to enjoy our backyard before it gets to be too hot to stay outside long. She has a small collection of sprinklers that we run through and she likes to make mud in containers. We got a small planter garden going this year and she likes to help water and see the plants grow (and pull the strawberries before they're ready...). 


She has officially entered the tantrum stage, I'm pretty lucky to say she has never really been one to melt down until right before she turned 4! But the luck ran out and this mama is struggling on managing in a calm manner, and most days I fall short. We're figuring it out together and I'm beginning to learn what shes really asking for/trying to say when she has tough moments, all while giving myself some grace to fail and try again. 


Going outside is still this girls love language and is one sure way to calm and make her happy. We've been going to parks as much as possible and have started to test hikes. We end up carrying her and we're not too upset about that because it gives us a better work out haha!

A big advancement for us has been Vivian sleeping though the night a couple times a week. At 4 years old it might been unfathomable to other parents how we managed to survive, but we knew our child and knew that she needed comfort. We listened to her needs and cherished that fact that she needed us in the middle of the night and our patience paid off when she just randomly started sleeping in her own bed (alone!) all night long. Waking in the morning I have to ask Kevin if she really slept all night "again"?! 

Overall, she's a total dream. She is kind and intuitive to others needs and feelings. She is energetic and wild and so much fun. She makes everyday better and harder, and so much deeper than we could ever imagine!



 
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