Our baby is FIVE! I can't believe it! This little monkey brings so much joy to our family. She is hilarious and busy and loving and is completely happy with her status as the "baby of the family". She likes to pretend to be a baby sometimes and will often say, "I'm the baby of the family, right Mommy?" :) Funny girl.
Even though she is the baby she has grown up SO MUCH this year! I feel like the baby part of her has truly disappeared. She is tall and leggy and when I look at her I see a little girl. It is bittersweet to watch her growing up but it's also very nice. She has left all the baby things behind in the last few months. She is now over 40 pounds and was able to move up to a booster seat...no more 5 point harnesses! She also gave up her naps! I thought I would be sad about that...not having that quiet time in the afternoons, but it has actually been SO nice to not have to plan my days around being home for naptime...for the first time in 16 years!! She also got out of her night time Pullups so we are officially a diaper free house!!! Such freedom. Haha.
Our little Lou is very smart. We do "Reading Club" together and in just 20 minutes a day for a few months she is already reading short books and has mastered about 50 sight words. I have no doubt she will be reading great by the end of the school year. She also does her Reading Eggs and Math Seeds programs online and she is moving through the lessons easily.
She did such an amazing job with dance last year! It was really sweet to watch her go from being almost too shy/scared to go into class to being totally confident and walking in with no problem. I really wasn't sure how she would do at the recital in that huge building with hundreds of people watching but she marched right on that stage and hit every move perfectly...I don't think she cracked a smile but she executed her routine flawlessly. Haha.
She has transitioned to gymnastics without batting an eye and is excelling in all her skills. They just did progress reports and her teacher said her skills are "top notch". She has mastered the "dump over" and is working on her cartwheel and front roll. Since she is now 5 they are going to move her up to a Kinder class as soon as there is an opening.
She is doing great at church and AWANA and never has days that she doesn't want to go. Last year she would get nervous about Sunday School but she hasn't balked in months. She is great at memorizing verses and gets them down quickly. She loves having Noni as her Cubbie teacher! I can't believe this is her last year of Cubbies. I'm sad that we will no longer have a Cubbie, but it will also be really fun for me to have her in Sparks!
She loves Library Story Time and always does wonderfully. She listens to Mrs. D and follows directions beautifully. She loves playing with her little friends there, doing the craft, and checking out books each week.
Piano is going really well and we've been working on her finger strength. I can already see improvements and she practices her songs every day. I am excited to see how she does at the Christmas Recital.
She and Peaches are inseparable. They play together constantly and always want to be together. I love how sweet they are with each other. We went to the grocery store with Noni a few days ago and I took Peaches and Lou went with Noni. They were apart only a few minutes but hugged each other like it had been weeks when we met at checkout. :) At the same time, she plays really well by herself and while Peaches and I are doing school she will happily go play upstairs or downstairs by herself for an hour plus. Her favorite things to play are Legos or Paw Patrol.
She still loves to help me cook and we make breakfast together almost every morning. She loves to put things in and mix and the spills are getting fewer and farther between. :) One strange thing (to me) about her is that she doesn't really like bread! That has been always been a favorite of all the other girls so it has been a weird transition. She loves pancakes and waffles but that's about it. She has finally started eating PBJ every now and then but that's about it for bread. She doesn't like rolls or buns or tortillas. If I make sandwiches for everyone I just give her meat and cheese. She also doesn't like syrup which is different than all the others as well. Her favorite things are cheese, yogurt (she has one every single day), and fruit of any kind. She LOVES fruit!
She is still a sensitive soul and all I have to do is look at her crossways and she shapes up pretty quick. If I ever yell at her (usually for doing something dangerous and scaring me) she tears up instantly. She is still a climber and isn't scared of much so she is not the most careful at times. :P
One thing I'm hoping improves this next year is her sleeping. She still wakes up often in the night. Most of the time she comes down to our room and snuggles in bed with me for a few minutes and then I take her back upstairs. She usually does that once every couple of nights but every now and then we'll get multiple times a night for several nights in a row. We're getting too old for that. Haha.
She is so sweet though and thoughtful and loves to make pictures for me and is always giving me hugs or wanting to sit and rock or cuddle. She loves for me to read to her and is always quick to get her pjs on and teeth brushed so we have more time to do books.
One funny thing about her is that she is a back seat driver. She has a great sense of direction and pays attention more than I realize. We went a different way to the girls' school the other day and she piped up, "Mommy! Where are you going? This is not the way!" Such good awareness!
Here is her first birthday interview:
1. Favorite color: Pink (she still chooses red when she has a choice)
2. Favorite toy: Paw Patrol Tower
3. Favorite fruit: grapes
4. Favorite TV show:
Octonauts
5. Favorite lunch: chicken nuggets
6. Favorite outfit: the panda
7. Favorite game: Chik-Fil-A (she got a card game in their kids' meal)
8. Favorite snack: oranges
9. Favorite animal: bunnies
10. Favorite song: Paw Patrol
11. Favorite book: Big Bird's Big Day
12. Your best friend: Lena (I'd say it's really Peaches)
13. Favorite Cereal: Capn' Crunch
14. Favorite thing to do outside: run
15. Favorite drink: water
16. Favorite holiday: Summer
17. Favorite breakfast: pancake cereal
18. What do you like to take to bed: my penguin and my Ba-ba
19. What do you want to be when you grow up:
A donut maker
20. What do you want for your birthday dinner?
hamburgers (no idea why she said this because she doesn't like hamburgers, haha)
Dear Lou,
Happy Birthday sweet girl! I can't believe you are already five years old! You have grown and changed so much in the last year! It has been so fun watching you grow this year. You don't quite fit on my lap as well as you used to but we are going to keep rocking until we just can't fit anymore! I love you so much and I cherish each and every sweet moment with you. Knowing you are my last baby makes our time together even more precious.
You bring me so much joy. You make me laugh and smile and shake my head a dozen times a day. Your daring feats make me nervous sometimes, but I love that I am still your comfort and each bonk and bruise and tear can be wiped away from a few minutes in Mommy's arms and a kiss on the head.
I love how you love to learn and are always eager to question what you hear or tell me something new. You picked up reading so quickly and I'm looking forward to kindergarten next year with you! It was so fun to watch you spread your wings a bit with dance last year and now gymnastics this year. You are brave and courageous and I'm proud of you for trying new things.
I love you more than I could ever say little girl. I am so excited to see what big things God has planned for your life. You keep seeking Him until you find Him and once you do, never let go. I know you will get there in your own good time and I am excited for that day. I pray this will be the year and that it will be your best year yet! I love you baby girl.
Love, Mommy
