NaBloPoMo 19: Melkamu

Melkamu is four today.  I don't normally get weepy over birthday (a little schmaltzy, sure, but not truly weepy) but today it hit me hard.  Four is no longer a toddler.  Four is not a little kid anymore.  Four is a big kid, who will be going to pre-K and playing soccer and learning to read and write. 

Let me tell you all about my wonderful, sweet, beautiful big four-year-old son:

Kamu is amazing.  He is so full of life and happiness that it's impossible to be around him without smiling.  He loves to cuddle and play and run and jump and wants to do everything that he sees.  He has learned to recognize the letters in his name and can write a few of them.  Once we realized what a tremendously kinesthetic learner he is, we've found some ways to help him and he's really learned a lot.  He knows his colors perfectly now.  He knows many of his letters and is getting better with numbers.  His coordination is amazing, which shouldn't really come as a surprise given his kinesthetic tendencies.  His skill with Legos has always been great, and lately he's been building things that are actually recognizable!  Kamu just got a soccer ball of his own and has fantastic control over the ball already, and some pretty good accuracy.  He's now talking about wanting his own football and throwing it at things to knock them over.  In other kids, I might say that it would take some practice but Kamu's had great aim ever since he came home (he used to throw things at us from his crib).  If he says he can do it, I'm inclined to believe he really can!

 

Over the last year, Kamu has grown tremendously.  He was already tall last year but now he's super tall for his age.  At an appointment in September, he was measured at 46" tall and he's grown since then!  I think he just went through another growth spurt since he's suddenly quite skinny and we no longer have to fold up the hems of most of his pants.  He wears mostly 5T clothes but has a few things in a size 6 that fit him pretty well.  He wears a size 12 sneaker.  He wears the same size hats that I wear (which means he borrows them frequently).

A few months after he came home, we nicknamed him Master Destructo.  As you can see, that still holds true.  He's not nearly so constant about it as he used to be but when he decides he really wants to make a mess, he's a pro.  No "half-way messy" or anything--no, he goes all-out.

We really love reading with Melkamu!  This has been one of my favorite things to see about Melkamu since we brought him home.  When he came home at 16 months old, he didn't care about books.  They weren't interesting to him.  He didn't want to sit and read them with us.  It was hard since bedtime stories had always been one of our favorite parts of the day.  Now, however, he is a big fan of reading.  He's always excited about bedtime stories and will often ask for us to read to him at other times also.  He definitely has favorite books and is starting to learn them so that he "reads" also.  It's not unusual to go up there when the kids are supposed to be sleeping, only to find Melkamu laying on his stomach with a book open.

My youngest son is 4.  It has been a year of tremendous changes for our family, and especially for him specifically.  Before he turns 5, he will be a big brother for the first time.  He loves to feel the baby kick and will often sit on my lap, waiting for the baby to kick his back.  Then he'll turn to me with this pretend surprise look on his face and say "The baby kicked me!"  And then he'll lean back and wait for it to happen again.  If I say "The baby's going to kick you," he just starts giggling.  He's going to be an awesome big brother.

I can't believe he's four already.  He was such a peanut when we brought him home at 16 months old.  Now he's a tall, strong, handsome little boy who has brought so much joy to our family.  Happy birthday, my Sweet Pea.  We love you so much!