To Thomas: A Fourth Birthday Letter

Posted in birthday on May 4th, 2010

OK, so your birthday was on April 24. I am still determined to publish this, however.

Now you are four. And my, how you’ve progressed. And my, how your circumstances have changed since the last birthday letter. First, let’s look at what’s changed about those circumstances, and then we’ll look at your progression before moving along to the upcoming year.

Since I last wrote, we’ve moved. Twice. The first move was from our home in Texas, now 1500 miles away. Following opportunity. It may be a while before you understand exactly what prompted the move, but you’ve been a real champ throughout. The second move was to a better set of accommodations, and I certainly won’t go into those details here. Ask me sometime.

What else has happened over the year? We’ve seen some interesting attractions in the DC area. You’ve been to several of the Smithsonian’s museums: National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution Building (the Castle), and the National Zoo. You’ve walked parts of the National Mall (slowly), stood under the Washington Monument, climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, walked around Tidal Basin, rode its paddle boats, and milled about with lots of other people to see the Cherry Blossoms. We took you to places like Pirate’s Cove and Great Wolf, and you’ve explored parts of Gettysburg, PA.

It was also a year for injuries and ailments, though fortunately nothing incredibly serious. You had your first dental procedure done recently: fillings for cavities! It just means we have to make extra sure we floss every day. Just prior to that, you fell and cut the inside of your lip, and we had to take you to the doctor for that (he only looked at you and pronounced that you would be OK). And before that, in a backseat spat with your brother, you scratched your cornea, prompting an emergency visit to an optometrist (which turned out to be a better deal than going to the ER). She gave you eye drops and a contact lens. Those were the most serious, though you do still have a tendency to fall down here and there.

Your development is phenomenal. OK, it’s phenomenal to me anyway. You spend a great deal of time in the library, and you’re learning to play on your own (and since Daniel is in school all day, you get lots of practice). By this point you are a capable web surfer, at least on PBS Kids, and you know how to start and stop web videos. I’ve gotten you playing video games as well, and your favorite one on the PS2 is Katamari Damacy, which you play quite well. You can count, you know your alphabet, and at times we think you can read. You also seem to be at least moderately interested in mechanical things, having fixed your own birthday card with no help from us. You play nicely with your brother, who sometimes does not return the favor, and you’ve enjoyed spending time outdoors now that the weather has turned nicer again.

What’s in store for you over the next year? While you started a full time preschool last Fall (and you loved it), we couldn’t afford to keep you there. But you will be going to a 3-day preschool this coming Fall, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the other place. You already are making friends in Sunday School there, so perhaps you will see some of them when you are going during the week as well.

Whatever you do and wherever you go, I want you always to remember that I love you.

Other birthday letters: