2007

April 7, 2007

Sweet Maryn,

My goodness my sweet little princess. So much has changed for you this year! The most major transitions to being a big girl were getting rid of the paci and learning to go potty. Both of which were much less traumatic than I was expecting. The paci I was really ready to see go. I searched and searched to find the best possible way to make this happen. I came across a story called “The Paci Fairy”. The concept was that the paci was ready to go home and when you turned a certain age, you would put the paci on the window sill and the paci’s mommy would come down while you were sleeping and take paci home to be with his family that missed him so terribly and leave you a gift for being so brave. This did not appeal to your sensitivity at all!! I printed out this story, complete with little pictures of paci’s that we colored. We read, and read this thing, but never did it click that YOUR paci really wanted to go home. I mean how much more fun could he possibly have than right there with you! So we changed direction and shortly after your 3^rd birthday, we decided to put together a gift bag for you to take to school and give your paci’s to the babies in the infant room. This totally worked and your first night and every night thereafter went paci free with ease!!!

The potty training was just as easy, thankfully! We had tried everything from charts, stickers, candy, incentives, every 2 hours, special dolls. And it simply came down to getting naked. We picked a weekend and said goodbye to pull-ups. You held it as long as you could and I could tell you were getting frantic moving around sporadically. You knew you had to go, but was not sure what to do. You finally peed all over the floor and totally freaked out! It was clear you never wanted that to happen again because you were trained at that very moment. You have had very few accidents, usually during nap or sleep times, but really have done so well. Mommy and daddy are so proud of how much you have grown this year.

I have now been working for a year and I still miss you just as much as I did my first day. I do enjoy working and I have seen you grow so much socially this year with all your friends and teachers. My fears of you getting hurt came to pass, as I am sure it does for most parents, when a clip board fell on your face and gashed your nose sending you to the ER for 4 stitches in your nose. But you know what, you were so strong and so brave and I know everyone at school cares for you so much and I know you are safe there, which is a true comfort. I feel less confidant about the possibility of elementary school coming in the near future. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

You crack me up so much at the end of the day. It seems your mind is going a mile a minute. A recent conversation with you went as follows:

Maryn: Mom, God will be mad at us if we do not share, right? (this conversation is sparked by the fact that Dylan does not want to share something with you)

Mommy: God loves it when we share with others, but he does not get mad at you.

Maryn: But, he wants us to share.

Mommy: Yes, God gets happy when he sees us sharing our things.

Maryn: Blood in our body is good.

Mommy: Yes, it is.

Maryn: I like cake.

You could really go on like this all night. We sit at the dinner table trying to talk to you about this or that, but it is like there is a wall and you are sitting behind it with your thoughts racing through and you hear and see nothing that is going on on the other side. And the questions!!!! The questions never end! You are constantly wondering about every detail of this world you are in.

This year you have really developed a wonderful imagination. You love everything princess and you are so artistic. You can sit down and draw things that simply amaze me. You have the sweetest laugh and the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. You have developed this sweetness that is, at times, so inclusive of Dylan. Wanting to play with him and draw him in to your imaginative world. I love being able to talk to you in a more mature way than ever before. You are so incredibly smart and simply interested in everything. This August you will be starting pre-K and I know the years will begin to fly by with school and activities. My constant prayer is that God will show us how to guide you to find God’s strength within yourselves and to never let another person determine your worth in this world.

My favorite memory:

My favorite memory this year has to be your first dance recital for Christmas. I was not at all sure how you would react being on that big stage. As the curtain opened I could feel my hear pounding anxiously. I saw your shining face, and when you saw me sitting there you just smiled so big and waved. You were an angel. Singing all your songs and remembering your moves. I totally loved it and was so proud of you!

M.A.D.L.Y