4 Years

Oh my, we have a four year old!!! Four actually doesn't sound that old to me but Reed has definitely started to look "older" lately and much more like a kid than a toddler. For most of the last year I have referred to him as a "three-nager" and I hope this moody, defiant, stubborn stage is passed because I really enjoy the times when he has good behavior and is a sweetheart. Reed's vocabulary is still astonishing and even more impressive are his problem solving skills. He is pretty good with a soccer ball and can run fairly quickly but throwing, catching, or hitting a ball are not things he does well. He is still fairly cautious, especially when compared to his daredevil brother and generally pretty sensitive and emotional. Reed does much better with knowing things ahead of time and changes to our schedule are pretty much the end of the world. He definitely challenges me every day but has taught me more in his four years that I could have ever imagined and we love this guy so very, very much!!!

 

 

Interesting Facts

Weight: 35.5 lbs

Height: 40.5 in

Clothing Size:  3T and 4T tops, 4T pajamas, 3T shorts (but I did squeeze him into a couple pairs of 2Ts most of the Summer), and 3T and 4T pants. He's still a skinny minnie but has longish legs so the 3Ts are a bit short.

Shoe Size: 10

Reed likes: Playing outside, especially running, playing soccer, washing cars, and digging in the dirt. Screen time favorites are Super Why, Shaun the Sheep, The Magic Schoolbus, watching Dad play Mario Bros video games, and any movie we'll let him watch. He also loves building with legos, taking care of his cuddly guys, reading books, making up his own games, playing any board game, doing puzzles, craft projects, baking, and science experiments. Reed has a lot of pretend friends and loves making up stories about them.

Reed dislikes: Not getting his way (duh), getting ready for school, days when I don't let him choose his outfit, cleaning up, not getting someone's full attention, and being awaken.

 

Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Buddy, Monkey, Reed-man,  Darlin', and Reeder.

Food: If the Monkey was asked to pick what he wanted for dinner his choice would probably be either pizza, hamburgers and French fries, or steak, lobster, and pasta. He loves fruit, hates beans and vegetables, and likes most meats and grains. He devours any dessert put in front of him and is usually willing to try new dishes as long as they aren't vegetables. He is allergic to dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.

Communication: Reed is still a rock start in the communication department. He is now even using past, present, and future tenses properly. Probably one of my favorite things he does is narrate what he's doing in the third person ("now he reaches for the door knob, opens the door, and he finds his room is full of toys"). Reedcito is still a chatter box and while I thought he talked non-stop before we have realized there must have been quiet moments because now when he's walking around or trying to figure something out he does this humming chant thing. Reed is very inquisitive but thankfully has stopped asking "why" every five minutes. He knows all upper and lower case letters and the sounds they make and can sound out most 2-5 letter words if asked. He is learning to write letters, specifically R, but isn't quite there yet.

Favorite Color(s): Pink and Purple 

Best Friends: "Best of my pretend are Elsa and Anna and I don't have any Best friends that are real because I just love everybody"

How Reed is sleeping:  He goes to bed around 7:30 pm and sleeps until between 6:00 and 7:00am most mornings. He sleeps in a twin bed, with a night light and sound machine as well as 2-3 quilts, girl soft sheep, Pooh, and however many other cuddly guys he can cram in with him. He had quiet time most afternoons for an hour but rarely falls asleep. Naps in the afternoon mean about 45 minutes of "reading" to himself at night before he falls asleep.

 

Milestones over the last six months:

Reed can now go potty independently but I still assist with the wiping job

He got to go on his first airplane

Reed started preschool

Reed-man learned basic swimming stroke skills

He attended his first baby shower

The Monkey dropped his nap for the most part

Reed had his first Birthday party with non-family kids

 

 

Reed's Family Party

The morning of Reed's actual Birthday I made pancakes and we let him open his presents. He was very sweet and let Kieran help him and the two of them got along so well. Then we had a dance party in Kieran's room and went outside to burn off some more energy.

With the kids party and the In-between party behind us we still had one more night of celebrating ahead. So we invited Grandma, Grandpa, Nonna, Pepe, C, Tio, Lyla, Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, Gran, and Papa over for dinner to celebrate both Jon and Reed's Birthdays. Luckily Reed was okay with keeping the vehicle theme going and I reused almost all of the decorations from his party the day before. I was really excited when I was setting up the table with the book for everyone to sign and realized I didn't need to move my Papa Art's drawing because it fit right in. It felt pretty special to have a little part of him at the celebration this year.

Kieran was super attached to Grandma most of the night and Reed started off the evening with a dance party with Gran and Nonna, then got Grandma involved for a game of hide and seek. He was having so much fun we basically had to beg him to open presents. He received so many wonderful gifts and was so excited about everything it was pretty cute. For dinner we let Reed chose the menu - Dad's BBQ chicken, fruit salad, bread, avocado, and a vegetable for other people but not him, this last part was made very clear multiple times. Reed was oddly clingy with me during dinner and even ended up in my lap a couple times. I think he was just exhausted from our weekend of celebrations but once it was time for cupcakes he seemed to get a second wind and he was once again running around like a crazy kid!

We ended the night trying to get pictures of Reed with everyone. You can tell from the photos how wound up and over-tired the boys both were, but there are pictures none the less so I guess my attempt was successful!!!

Inbetweeners

It is hard having Birthdays so close together and this year was especially weird because the night before Jon's Birthday I went to a Grandma Baby Shower for Aunt Penny so we let him quickly open gifts before I headed out. The next day, Jon's actual Birthday, Reed was Birthday VIP at school so we all went as a family and got to sing Birthday songs, have Reed bring a special book to share with the class, and later in the morning the kids all got popsicles to celebrate. Mrs. Koch did offer Jon a crown to wear when she found out it was his Birthday too, but he quickly declined. We gave Jon big hugs and kisses good bye after preschool and didn't see him until the next day because his friends had planned a special video game/nerd fest afternoon and evening for him. He had a great time but we both said how weird it felt not to be together on his Birthday. The next day was Saturday and Reed's kids party so we didn't really get to celebrate Jon much until after the party and even then he just opened cards/gifts, the boys had a dance party using a musical card, and we caught up on the previous day.

You may recall last year I threw Jon and Reed a surprise "In-between Birthday" on the day that falls in between their Birthdays. This year, about a month before his Birthday, Reed started asking me about his and Dad's In-between Birthday and I realized I had probably created a fun tradition on accident (and some additional work for myself). I told him Kieran and I would do another In-between party for him and Dad if they return the favor and do an In-between party for me and K next month since our Birthdays fall exactly one month apart. Of course my Little Party Planner was game so I started planning party number two for the weekend. I tried to pick out something he and Jon both like so I went with Super Mario Brothers since Reed's favorite reward is watching Jon play video games. To say he loved the theme is an understatement and we had a really fun night (minus a couple of spills) of hanging out, making homemade pizza, and yes, playing video games.