There She Grows Again

Saturday morning.... ah. Sleeping late feels so good... OMG I was able to sleep late. Where's the patter of little feet at 7-7:30 in the morning. Where's the rustle from the monitor that I know is impending doom of a little girl full of energy ready to rouse her mother and I from bed on this weekend morning when I use to be able to sleep late.... But I did sleep late! I was able to sleep until 8:30 and it felt great! Lexi and I get up and found Claudia had gotten up and turned on her TV and was watching cartoons and laying on her couch in the play room (i.e. guest bedroom).

She turned 4 this past weekend and this year has seen such growth. She went from potty training and pull ups at night to completely using the potty with no assistance... except the occasional 'come and wipe me' and no accidents in bed. She went from wanting us to cloth her to clothing herself and having her own rudimentary sense of style. She now remarks whether she wants to wear certain clothes or not.

I can't believe my little girl who always needed help is now wanting to do things on her own. Her independent streak is really starting to come out in full force and her mother and I are trying hard to keep it in check. There's a tight balance between allowing her independence to thrive and reigning her in with manners and understanding that Mom and Dad are still in control. Unfortunately knowing my own stubborn behavior and having learned my wife, I think we are in for a battle! Claudia is our child in every good and challenging way!

She was never in terrible two's. Our two-year-old was so sweet and gave us little trouble. Now this past year as a three-year-old has been quite different. Three was much harder to handle than two. This year we have had to deal with rolling eyes, pouty lips, talking back, etc. All of which we thought were sure to come some where in adolescence. I don't want to think about the 12-18 years. I can only imagine the joy those years will bring.... interject skepticism here!

As far as health she has been super healthy. The tubes in her ears were a godsend. Of course she has the standard sniffles and coughs that most kids do but she has overwhelmingly been a very rambunctious three year old and we have all the bumps, bruises, scrapes, scratches and knots to prove it.

It's amazing to me as a parent to see her starting to understand concepts and developing her own personality. She has such amazing cognitive skills and she is learning so much. She truly is a sponge for her environment. Lexi and I are having to watch what we say around her too because we have already had to teach her not to say 'Darn' and 'Oh My GOD' because she heard these at daycare. I also find that I learn a lot about myself as I try to explain what words mean and delineate why we say some things and not others. We were headed home from daycare the other day and she said 'Dad I stumped my toe today.' I said 'really' to which she asked 'what does stumped mean.' It's like she wants so hard to understand everything and we are learning to be patient with her as she asks a million questions.

As I dropped her off at daycare this week I had the sinking sensation that my baby is no longer a baby. She is registered for Pre-K and will be at 'Big School' next year and there's no turning back. I walked through the daycare headed out and noticed the baby room she started in at 6 months and the 'Creepers' room she went to next and on to the Pre-Toddler Twos and the Raging Threes and now the Pre-Teen Fours. Precious Treasures Daycare has been a wonderful environment for her to learn, play and grow. She has had such wonderful teachers and they have taught her well. I drove away from there with a small lump in my throat and with thankfulness in my heart that my daughter is fortunate to have been blessed with great experiences from infancy through toddlerhood. I can't wait to see what adventures Pre-K and Elementary School bring. Knowing my daughter... they better get ready!

jamie

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life Interrupted But Blessings Overflowed

 Several years ago I started having some back issues. Fast forward to 2023 and I was losing all sense of where my legs were and all feeling in my legs as well. After several years with local doctors and several non-surgical options (i.e. steroids, injections, shots, etc.) and for the most part being told that losing weight would be the wonder cure or my back issues I chose to go to a different doctor in Atlanta. After several MRIs, nerve conduction study and discussions with doctors I was told that I definitely needed lumbar surgery (L2-S1) and that more than likely I would need fusion. After another MRI on the upper spine I was also told that I needed Cervical (C5-C6) and Thoracic (T2-T3) surgery. Initially I was told that surgery would be almost outpatient in that I would have surgery on one day and I would be released within two days. Surgeries were scheduled and we were on our way. When I arrived for the first surgery which was on the Cervical and Thoracic Spine It lasted longer th
Read more

I Wouldn't Believe It....

Image
I have always held a healthy level of skepticism. I know I don't have a long lost Ethiopian uncle ready to wire a million dollars into my bank account. Money unfortunately does not grow on trees. About five years ago, Lexi was tired of being her doctor's guinea pig for any new drug that came out so she decided to try using a more holistic approach to her health and began using essential oils. At first my skepticism was through the roof. In my opinion, it was all in her head that these oils made her feel better. Other than the great smell when she diffused them... I wasn't convinced. After a few months, I decided to try it for myself. I had always had digestion issues and eating Prilosec daily was my routine. We had bought an oil blend called Digize from Young Living and after much prodding from Lexi I gave in. I was willing to try it if it would curb my constant nausea and sour stomach . I was amazed! In just a little while I felt much better. It became what I reached
Read more

2018

Image
As I close out 2018 and look forward to 2019 I can't help but feel an overwhelming amount of thankfulness and end this year with a single word: Blessed. The year did not start with a feeling of thankfulness and honestly blessed was the not part of my January. In fact I started this year with a mixed bag of emotions and most of them not very pleasant. I began this year with a lot of feelings of hurt and pain. I was about to embark on the biggest change of my life. I quit my job in HR as of February and went to work for my wife in March as the Operations Manager of her quickly growing business, Wholistic Therapeutic Services. I had worked in HR for over 17 years and had honestly thought that would be where I retired but circumstances dictated that I had to make some changes and with a huge push Lexi and I felt it was the right time for a very big change in my career. 2018 saw her business grow from a 2 person office to ending in December with a 6 person office and a change of a
Read more