R at Four Plus

R is such a big girl these days. I am not sure when she got so long and lanky! Her personality hasn't really changed since she was a small baby--cheerful, curious, independent and energetic--just developed further. Babies are all similar to one another, but now I couldn't mistake R for anyone else. It has been so much fun seeing her personality and spirit unfold.

Nicknames: Fur, Furble, Zizi, Monkey
Things I Could Do Without: You still have temper tantrums, though thankfully fewer than in the past (maybe twice a week?). I am looking forward to the time when you are done with that stage! Your energy level remains high, which is mostly fun but sometimes hard to take, especially in the mornings before I've had my coffee.
Favorite Toys: Your My Little Ponies; the beloved Pink Ami; your Hello Kitty plastic house and matching figurines
Things I'm Loving Most Right Now: Your sense of humor; your imagination (you get very creative with your imaginary play); your enthusiasm for life; your generally happy personality. Your father and I agree that you are practically perfect and love you just the way you are.
Things You're Loving Most Right Now: Playing with your friends; playing with your father; your father in general (he is currently your favorite parent and you want to do everything with him, from reading stories to cooking: it's so sweet!); playing in general: if you had your way, you would play imaginary games all day (and night) long
Foods You Like: Not many! You are definitely picky. Favorites include french fries, ice cream, mango, cantalope, rice, eggs, and melted cheese.
Skills: You are an expert talker now, with a surprisingly big vocabulary (including words like extinction, ancestor and naturally). You also speak some Mandarin, thanks to school, and can sing songs in both languages. You can count to twenty (sometimes: you get mixed up with fourteen and sixteen) and recognize letters (though you still struggle with writing everything beyond simple letters like O and L). You dress and undress yourself easily, brush your own teeth (and hair, sometimes), do somersaults, hop, balance on one foot, throw balls and generally run around like a monkey (thus the nickname).

We love you R!