Allie at 4 1/2 years old

Is anybody there?  Okay..no apologies, no promises of going back and updating all this lost time.. just updates... we've been a bit busy... Allie is 4 1/2 now, so there is no time to sit down and blog.. until now. When I started this update, she was watching LeapFrog -"aHoy!" as she calls that episode. So, I pnly had a few minutes.


Let's start with a brief update of Allie.

She is talking so much these days!!! She repeats all the lines from her shows. Some of her words are so clear it is amazing; others are clear enough for me to tell what they are as she is watching the movies or listening to the music. Others leave us puzzled. But, you should see how happy she gets when we do figure out the word she is trying to say.

The "Say Cheese" Phase

She still uses ASL signs to help us understand her, we use them to help her understand us and we all use them for fun.  I lost count how many ASL signs she had a couple years back when we hit about 150. She knows a lot more and they really do help us a lot. She still loves to learn new ones, too.

Things Allie loves to do..Swim, play games, be silly, paint, talk, sing, repeat.  She loves her dvds - Tangled is a favorite along with LeapFrog DVDs, Signing Time DVDs, too.  She loves to play with her iPod (my old phone).She listens to music lately and sings along.  She loves school, water play day, swings, slides, non stop activity.

Allie and I enjoying a Summer Snack

She eats fairly well. Still stuck on the favorites - chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, mac and cheese, ice cream, cake, cookies, chips and Cheetos.  Oh, don't give up on me yet... she LOVES strawberries.  She also eats yogurt, broccoli, oranges and apples.

Allie is still a petite little girl. Weighing in at about 27 pounds and about "this" tall. :-) Maybe 35 inches? It is time to measure again. Last measurement wasn't so accurate due to someone being rather wiggly at the doctor's office.  She has a lot of energy and dances and runs and jumps and is basically non-stop. While she does eat I'm sure she burns off a lot of her food she eats.

Allie playing with her friends, Charleigh and Ryder

I was comforted today when I looked at a kindergarten list - things that show signs a child is ready for kindergarten. These include recognizing alphabet letters, numbers, shapes, colors.  Yep... check, check, check, check. She has those down - if she is in the mood to answer you when you ask. Even though she has a whole year left of preschool (at the greatest preschool ever), I was still nervous about her not being ready.I feel better. She is doing well and while we still have our work cut out for us this year, I think it is easily realistic and I think she will be so ready for school a year from today. I'm pretty sure I won't be ready, but she will be and I won't let her know I'm not ready.