W turns 4!

Nearly a month ago now, our beautiful first-born turned 4… where does the time go?!

His 4th birthday

Poor W didn’t have the best of birthdays, he’d been fighting a virus on and off all week, he went to school as usual in the morning but just had a lazy afternoon at home with his dad and little brother, and opened his presents when I got home from work…. he was very pleased with his Paw Patroller that he’d been hinting heavily at for weeks! Brother S bought him a couple of dinosaur-related toys that cheered him up to!

He did get to take a cake to school… not just any cake but a Paw Patrol cake! When I did the school run the next morning, about 4 parents commented on it saying how well it had gone down! He must have been a very popular boy that day 😍 and it made me feel less guilty about not hosting a full class party for him!

His birthday party

A few days later he had his party at a local leisure centre, same place he had his 3rd party… bouncy castle etc, lots of family and some friends including one of his best friends from school! This year we got Catboy to make an appearance, although W wasn’t overly bothered… but S absolutely loved him!

We did the usual party food grub, in dinosaur-themed party food boxes and guests got a dinosaur-themed party bag to take home. We forgot to take the dinosaur table cloths and dinosaur balloons… yep I spent a fortune on eBay!

W at 4

He’s clever, curious, very loving and caring, and very polite. Loving and caring in the way he looks out for his little brother, but also me and my OH too.

A month or so ago I picked him up from playgroup and he whispered to me ‘I’ve got something for you in my pocket’ and he’d picked some daisies for me because he knows I love flowers!

Clever in that he learns quickly and retains information ‘they’re not flumps, they’re mallows’ ‘how do you know that?”that’s what paw patrol call them!’

Curious in that he asks ‘why’ about a million times a day!! ‘Do grasshoppers live in water?’ ‘No they live on land’ ‘but why mama’ ‘cos they don’t like to get wet’ ‘why?’…. 😂

He has a way with words… all his requests begin with ‘a long time ago, I would like….’

He’s full of intrigue and has a great sense of imagination. Loves playing in his own little world but equally is pretty sociable.

He can also be very sensitive at times. Although he can be confident enough, I feel like he’s always be a follower, not a leader. In big groups or new situations he can become a bit reserved. And he can still cry over the littlest of things.

Being a May baby he’s one of the youngest of the school year, and combined with his sensitivity and gentle nature I do worry sometimes that he’ll always be a bit young for his age.

W at school

W started school (nursery) back in September and he’s come on leaps and bounds. They have an amazing teacher and the focus has been on confidence and structure… getting them ready for their reception class.

He settled in ok straight away but he was a bit shy. For the Christmas concert he cried every day in rehearsals and we didn’t think he’d make it but he did! When we had a parents evening around Easter his teacher said he’s come a really long way in terms of confidence which is a huge relief.

He gets on well with the other kids and has some small groups that he hangs out with (one being ‘the superhero crew’!)

He never shares much about what he gets up to in school every day (although he did tell me when the teacher threatened to phone the police on them as they weren’t tidying up haha!) but he can write his name, and follow letters/numbers when he’s writing. He can draw numbers 1 to 10. He can draw little pictures eg his family, which is so cute!

At home he’s showing signs of starting to read… basically there’s a couple of books (toddle waddle, 10 little dinosaurs) where he’s memorised the words!

He’s good at tidying up, although he does get distracted!

He’s recently started dressing himself and wiping his own bum!

Likes and dislikes

Likes dinosaurs, Andy and the prehistoric adventures magazines, trips to McDonald’s, days out and soft plays, treats, ice cream, sharks, stories, adventures

Can’t actually think of anything he dislikes right now!

He loves his little brother S and is an excellent big brother, looking out for him and having lots of fun with him. Although they do have their moments, fighting over toys usually. W can still throw a good tantrum/meltdown and he’ll say ‘I don’t like you anymore’ or ‘I’m never going to play with you again’

Eating and sleeping

He’s a pretty good eater, still loves pasta which has been his staple favourite for 3 years now! Recent new foods he’s tried and liked are baked sweet potato and chicken korma (he loves the naan breads and poppadums that come with it!)

We moved house nearly a year ago and he got his big boy bed. Since then probably every other night he’s wandered into our room… we went through a phase of letting sleep with us but now we (OH!) puts him back in his bed in the middle of the night.

Vital stats

Bad mum alert. No idea what his height or weight are. Weight wise actually he’s between 15 and 18kg as he’s in between car seats.

He’s in 3-4 tops, 2-3 bottoms and size 8.5 shoes.

So another year’s gone by. Such a big boy, in school and everything! But not too big for lots of cwtches, a lovely, loving, well-behaved, imaginative boy! We love you W xxx