- Emmett has really grown up a lot this last year. He has become so much more independent. He's learning to get himself dressed without our help, brush his own teeth, etc. When we get home now I am able to get him and Hattie out of the van and Emmett opens the door to the house and lets himself and Hattie in while I get Felix. Then, when I walk inside they are always hiding from me in the living room. Yesterday Emmett jumped out from under a blanket.
- Emmett is awfully sweet these days. He really loves his new brother and kisses him all of the time. He is just so full of love for him. We are trying to teach him that sometimes it's not ok to kiss him though - like when he's sleeping. He and Hattie get a long pretty well most of the time too. They enjoy playing together. We often find them sitting right next to eachother on the couch while watching TV. I think the fact that they have a playmate has helped tremendously with our transition to a family of five. He is also full of love and kisses for Mom and Dad a lot of the time.
- Mother's day this year seemed to really click with Emmett a little more this year. When I picked him up from daycare that Friday he had a rose for me and a present (they each made a bracelet and Emmett made a necklace for me!). He said "Happy Mother's Day" when I got there. Then on Sunday I was getting him ready for church and rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt. He paused for a moment,, kissed me and said, "Thanks". I said, "You are so sweet Emmett." He then said "Happy Mother's Day" and gave me another kiss. It really warmed my heart.
- Emmett tells us a lot more stories these days. Some of them make some sense and some of them don't. He uses his imagination a lot. For his birthday he got a lot of "guys" to play with and it has been interesting observing his play so far. He is into Spider-Man right now. He still really enjoys books. We got several longer books that I hope he enjoys us reading aloud to him. We'll see how that goes. He is also very good with puzzles and is starting to enjoy building things with his Lego Duplos. He enjoys playing trains as well and is more into building the track with a little help than ever before. He also plays with his cars. He has a set of lacing cards and he really likes playing with the strings.
- Emmett is a great eater. He tries a lot of things. He's not a big fan of many things with meat in them except he does like meatballs and sausage on pizza etc. I would say his favorite meal is pasta with alfredo sauce and shrimp. He loves vegetables, especially peas and corn but he also likes broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. He also eats most fruits including cantalope, apples, mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries. He doesn't really like green beans or blueberries but we still have them sometimes anyway! He has also recently developed a lot of chocolate milk after trying it a few months ago. He likes candy too - in particular m&ms and starburst. He also enjoys popcorn.
- Emmett wears 4t clothes but his pants are getting short. His 4t shorts for the summer seem like they will fit fine until fall.
- We are getting ready to send Emmett to preschool next year. It will be a big transition for him as he has been at Dragon Tots since he was 16 months old. He also will no longer be with Hattie or Felix. I don't think he even remembers spending a day apart from Hattie so I'll be interested to see how that impacts their relationship. He'll be going to the elementary school by our house and luckily they have wrap around care so we won't have to transport him at all during the day.
- Emmett will be playing his first organized sport this summer - soccer! He has actually been doing pretty well with kicking balls so I hope he has a great experience.
- He has started to outgrow his nap and no longer naps at home on the weekends. We try to enforce rest time but he continually gets out of his room so we typically end up allowing him to watch TV on the couch or in our bed to keep him from disturbing everyone else! He still naps at daycare for about an hour and then because of that he doesn't go to bed at night very easily either. I think we need to drop naps all together. So, that's on the horizon. It will probably be a grumpy transition.
- For his birthday this year we sent Spider-Man cupcakes to daycare on Friday the 15th. We went to the YMCA that evening as a family and went swimming because that is something that Emmett had asked to do. Then on Saturday we went to the zoo with Aunt Katrina and both sets of grandparents. I made Chocolate cake with peanut butter filling decorated like a monkey.
Emmett -
We love you beyond words. I can't wait to watch you learn and grow during this fourth year of life. It's so hard to believe that four years have already passed since I held you in my arms for the very first time. You will always be our baby!
Love,
Mom & Dad
