An Interview with a Four-Year-Old

I have a four-year-old! Crazy! Linnea (for the most part) is SO much fun these days. She's goofy, curious, sweet, and loving, and we love her to pieces! She's got a little edge of sassiness, but she's really SUCH a sweet girl.

I'm a little late with this, but wanted to continue the annual interview I started last year. One thing I've really enjoyed about this age/stage is watching Linnea discover who she is, her likes and dislikes, etc. In case you're curious, our interview from last year is found here.

Here's our interview from this year. (I added my thoughts in italics.) It was very cute - she was quite serious about the whole thing. More thoughtful than last year, and answers came much easier.

1. How old are you? Four!! (She is so proud of this. In the weeks after she had her birthday, she'd tell strangers, "I'm FOUR now." She doesn't really have her Rs, so it's more like Fow-a.)
2. What is your favorite color? Purple and blue (Purple has been pretty consistent. I have expected her to say sparkly something, or rainbow, as she has cited those in the past.)
3. What is your favorite toy? (She had to think about th(is one...) My firetruck (A bit of a surprise, as she hasn't played with it for a while. She got a garbage truck for her birthday that she's played with quite a bit. She also likes to play with play food A LOT.)
4. What is your favorite food? Mushroom stroganoff!! (True story, and both Jeromy and I love this about her because it's so unique. She loves going to Noodles for it, and also LOVES when Jeromy makes it at home. Other favorites are pizza, any type of pasta, egg wraps - our creation...basically just scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped in a tortilla, and fish).
5, What is your favorite snack/treat? Cheez-its (Another surprise. We never really have them at home. She chose to bring cheez-its to preschool this past Friday when it was her turn to bring snack, so maybe it was fresh on her mind. She likes pretzels, goldfish crackers, craisins and raisins. She loves chocolate and ice cream as treats.)
6. What is your favorite TV show? (Lots of thought about this...) Ummm...Mickey Mouse [Clubhouse]. (We've been trying to cut down on TV at home. Not that we think it's awful or anything...it just was getting too excessive for us. I know she watches different shows at daycare, but Mickey does tend to be the one she wants most with us.)
7. What is your favorite movie? Frozen (Yup...still. We haven't watched in a while, but she definitely still loves it.)
8. What is your favorite animal? (Some thinking...) A pony. (Interesting to see the similarity from last year. We did go to the Renaissance Festival again, where she once again rode a pony. I don't know if that's what she was thinking about or not...)
9. Who is your favorite friend to play with? Raia (Again, same answer as last year. This one was a bit of a surprise. Not that Raia isn't a good friend, but they haven't played together in a while. She does, however, very much look up to her and had an adorable "over the fence" conversation with her around the same time I did this interview.)
10. What's your favorite thing to do outside? Play on a swingset (Very accurate. Girlfriend could swing ALL. DAY. LONG. It was the best thing ever when we A) bought her a swingset for our yard and B) she learned how to pump.) 
11. What is your favorite thing to drink? Ice water (What a diva...ha ha ha. Over the summer we started drinking stuff with ice - which we don't do very often. Needless to say, she liked it.)
12. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My ballerina story...my baka! (I have to laugh about the ballerina story. She just got the book from a church friend and it is her latest obsession. It's a book that looks like a purse and has several stories about little girl ballerinas in it. Her baka is her beloved blankie that ALWAYS needs to be in bed with her.)
13. What is your favorite song? Okee Dokee Brothers (We've istened to their stuff for awhile, but just recently borrowed the CD from the library. They're really great. I don't mind this obsession.)
14. What makes you happy? (She leans in close and almost in a whisper) Icccccceee cream. (That's my girl. Ha ha ha!!!)
15. What makes you sad? (Became very thoughtful.) When people hit me? (I asked her who would hit her and she shrugged her shoulders.) Maybe doesn't talk to me?? (I guess it's good that she can't think of a whole lot that makes her sad.)
16. What is one thing you love about mama? (She gave me a huge hug.) That you love me!!! (Cue mama melt...)
17. What is one thing you love about daddy? Just because I love him... (I tried to get more out of her...I think she basically meant she loves everything..)
18. What do you want to be when you grow up? A "fighterfighter" (Again, same answer as last year. She LOVES fire hydrants and will come running from anywhere in the house when she hears the firetrucks - which is regularly because we live right by the fire station. She loves watching them drive by.) 

Linnea is SUCH a personality, and is coming into her own more and more by the day. It's so fun to watch her grow. She is such a sweet little girl, and we love her to bits!

Two Months!

I'm a bit late in posting this...but better late than never, right? Britta turned 2 months on the 17th. Time is just flying...

Britta Alice,
Time just goes faster and faster. You are now 2 months old, and I've loved watching you learn and grow this last month. We say all the time you seem SO grown up already! I don't know if it's just because you are big for your age, or if you are just that much more alert and aware, or maybe a combination? Either way, there's been lots of change this month...you are really coming into your own.

We love you more and more as each day passes. Here's what we've been up to the last month.

You started sleeping through the night!
It's not consistent just yet, but you've had SEVERAL nights recently when you've slept 7, 8, or even 9 hours at a time! Wow! Rockstar!

The first time you did it was such a surprise. It was the night you got your shots (Sept. 4th). I actually was fully expecting your sleep to be disrupted because I could tell you were sore. But a dose of tylenol in you and you went from 5 hours as your longest stretch to sleeping around 9 hours! Wow! I thought it must have been a total fluke, and it was for a bit but since then you've been doing it again.

Just within the last couple days you've started breaking out of your swaddle, so I've been leaving your arms out at night. Your startle reflex is much less than it was when you were brand new, but you still flail a lot in your sleep, so you haven't been sleeping quite as good as of late. I'm hoping this is short lived.

You started smiling!
I forgot how gradual this comes... Daddy and I (and Linnea for that matter) were watching closely and started seeing little grins the end of August/beginning of September.

As the weeks have gone by they've become more and more frequent. You have very sweet, smirky little smiles. I love it! You are also cooing up a storm. Lots of fun noises. We've started having "conversations" with you. We talk to you, and you'll coo back at us. So fun!

You went to fairs and festivals...
It was a busy month for us in terms of fairs and festivals. We love hittin' a bunch up, and we were excited to take you with this year!

At the end of August you went to the State Fair - twice! You, me, and Daddy went on opening day (WOWZA Auntie Rachel and Andrew were in town, so we went with your WOWZA aunties, uncles, and "wousins"). You did awesome! It was funny because a couple people made comments about how ambitious we were - but we knew you'd do great! You slept a lot, woke up to eat, and observed contently the rest of the time. We went again as a family (with big sister this time) that Saturday, and once again you did great. It was SO fun to do our annual photo booth picture with 4 people this year!

We also love going to the Renaissance Festival. This year we went on Labor Day. It was a beautiful day, and we had a good time. You stayed content in the carrier pretty much the whole time - a mix of sleeping and alert time. We got a little hot near the end of our time there (it was warm in the midday sun), but we managed just fine. I'm excited to take you in future years - I bet you'll have a great time riding ponies and seeing fairies with your sister!

Finally, we made our annual trip to the Monarch Festival. This one is right by our house, which is fun. We had a good time wandering around, and taking in all the festivities.

You took a few more road trips...
You are already well traveled, little one! Last month you went to Eau Claire for cousin Tom's funeral. This month you took a couple more little road trips.

First, me, Linnea, and Grandma took a little day trip down to St. James to meet your great grandma. You did great in the car both ways, and we had such a nice little visit. Great Grandma loves you (and your sister) SO much. We hung out at Great Grandma's place for a bit, went out for lunch, and had a bit of time at the park before heading home.

Unfortunately, this month brought another funeral for our family - which meant another road trip. Great Grandma Mary Grace passed away following her battle with cancer. We made the drive down to Decorah for the service. I was most nervous about this road trip, as it was the longest so far. No need to worry though - you did great once again. We had another hotel stay (which went pretty well, all things considered). The service was very long, but very beautiful, and you did as well as to be expected during it.

You've grown and changed a lot too...
As I said at the beginning, we are in awe on a daily basis how grown up you seem already. It seemed to happen overnight!

I seriously can't believe how big you are already! You definitely got a "head start" (being so big when you were born), but it's still a surprise. I'm trying really hard not to compare you to your sister, because that's really where the surprise comes from (since I'm used to how big Linnea was as a baby).

We had your 2 month doctor's appointment when you were 7 weeks old (September 4th). At that time, you weighed 13 pounds, 13 ounces and 24" long! All of your measurements were in the high 90s percentile wise. Your head measurement was 99.99%! Dr. Khan was SO pleased with what she saw. She said you were right on track with where you should be, and you are moving right along your growth curve. We're so glad you are so healthy! You got your shots. You got REALLY mad, but you did okay - and it led to your best night of sleep (see above)!

Some of your 3 month clothes are getting a little snug. We're in that weird stage where the smaller size is getting a little small, but the next size up is a little big. So you're in a mix of 3 months, 3-6 months, and some 6 months stuff. Some of the 6 months clothes make you look even more grown up. You wore a pair of Oshkosh overalls the other day that looked so cute on you!!

You are still in size 1 diapers, and they definitely aren't too big anymore! In fact, we talked recently about switching into 2s. We're not there quite yet, but I'm sure we'll be there soon!

I thought you were alert last month - but you are SO much more alert this month. That's one of the first things people notice about you. You seem to pay such close attention to the world around you. You are so curious already. There is such a light in your eyes...it's amazing to watch you take it all in

Your favorite thing to watch is ceiling fans. It's hilarious. Wherever we are, if there's a ceiling fan, that's where your eyes will go. The other week you managed to put yourself to sleep watching the fan at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Linnea is still LOVING her baby sister. I think she's really liking how interactive you are. I'm so excited to watch that continue. I know it's just begun, and I'm confident that you two will be the best of buddies!

You continue to eat well. You nurse every 3-4 hours for the most part. We started giving you the occasional bottle this month - your first on Sept. 12th. It took a bit for you to get used to them, but you're doing alright (which makes mama feel a bit better about having to go back to work in just a few weeks!).

You're going to bed a bit earlier this month. Usually around 9 or 9:30. You continue to do pretty well at night. If you're up you are up once, nurse, and go right back to sleep (there have been fewer "fights" to get you back to sleep. As I mentioned before, we've had a bit of regression - I think at least partially caused by not being swaddled anymore. Even with that, you're a good sleeper, with a mix of sleeping through the night and getting up once. I'm thankful for that!!

Naps are still inconsistent. I try to get you to sleep at least one "good nap" of a couple hours. It varies whether that's in the morning or afternoon. I'm soaking up all the snuggle naps I can get before I have to go back to work .You are such a snuggler and I absolutely love it.  One nice thing about me going back to work (and you starting at Magna's) is that you will likely get on more of a schedule. Magna did a great job doing that for Linnea, and I hope for much the same with you. It tends to make things easier for everyone.

You are doing really great with tummy time. You tolerate it pretty well, and can really hold your head and neck up well. Continuing to live up to your strong name!

What a month we've had! You continue to be a delight in our lives. We are so thankful for you, and can't wait to see what next month brings!

We love you as big as the whole world...
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)