EJ's 4-year stats

Growing up so fast

Everett;s stats at her 4-year appointment were as follows:

38lb (73rd %)

41.5" tall (85th %)

She appears to have met or exceeded all her developmental milestones. She knows her ABCs (and for the most part their sounds, plus can recognize all the letters), can count to 30 (and recognize her numbers through at least 10), can write her nickname (EJ) but not her full name. She knows where we live (the name of our street/neighborhood, our city, and our state).  She can recognize both the US and GA flags and say the Pledge of Allegiance. She seems to have my spatial awareness/memory, as she will recognize when we are driving somewhere she has been before and knows when we are on the roads going to places she is familiar with.  She asks legitimately thought provoking questions such as "Why do we have necks" and is able to explain things I thought would be beyond her at this age like "If we want to go faster we should go down the hill."

She loves art and will happily color for an hour straight; similarly she seems to really enjoy building with her Legos. She understands and wants to play games like Jenga and Memory.  She can throw and kick a ball. She will happily run and jump and climb all day long. She has an amazing imagination and if left to her own devices will come up with some truly creative (and often incredibly messy) ways to pass the time, with an elaborate story to go along. 

Overall she is a happy, engaging, clever child who seems to be generally fearless (good and bad, but mostly good at this point), incredibly socially confident (she did not inherit her mom's shyness, that is for sure!), and exhaustively active. We have loved watching her mind explode and are delighted daily with the way she speaks and expresses herself. She never ceases to make us laugh. She challenges us, which can be exhausting but I wouldn't want it any other way. She is spirited and fierce and brave and amazing. In other words, she's perfect.  =)

Still our silly girl

Happy Birthday EJ!

My oh my, how is it possible that 4 years are gone already? My sweet girl, my first baby, the original Tiny Tornado....oh how you have grown into an articulate, fearless, smart, funny, kind little girl right in front of our eyes. 

We have loved every minute of it, even the ones you have challenged and pushed us on. You have taught us how to be parents and you made us a family. 

We love you desperately and completely. You make us laugh every single day. You make us better people just by being part of our family. You delight us and surprise us and make our hearts grow in ways we never imagined.

We are so incredibly proud of you. You have officially moved out of the realm of "toddler" which in some ways is heartbreaking but in so many more ways is thrilling. We can't wait to see what you do next. You are a world of surprises wrapped up in an adorable, mighty-girl exterior. 

Happy birthday, baby. We love you, to the moon and back. 

Nora's 1-year stats

Nora had her 1-year check up almost a month late, because that is the reality of the second child.  *shrug*

Here are her official stats:

22 pounds, 7oz (68th %)

30.75" tall (90th %)

head circumference of 18.9" (over 97th%)

For comparison sake, at EJ's 1-year appointment her stats were:

22 pounds, 3oz

30.7" tall

head circ of 18.5"

They are basically the exact same size, and yet their bodies seem quite different.  EJ had way more fat rolls than Nora ever has. I think Nora has shorter legs and a longer torso than EJ, although they are basically the same height. And perhaps most significantly, it appears that Nora got the Nadi squares. For those of you unfamiliar with this natural phenomenon, it means she has fat feet.  They are a LOT bigger than EJ's were at this age, and because of their girth, none of EJ's old shoes fit. Which means I have to buy all new ones. Darn.  =)

Here they both are, at the same age, wearing the same outfit.  You can see how differently the sweater fits them.  And also how much more hair Nora has.  =)