It is not to be believed!
That little round-headed baby who turned our lives upside-down, inside-out, and round-and-round is four years old. From the days when pulling himself to standing, spooning oatmeal into his mouth and talking about himself in the third person were the highlights and stepping stones. To today, running down the street, driving his big wheel like Lightning McQueen (that's Mario Andretti for the kiddo set) and holding his own in any conversation (especially about Lightning McQueen. Yes. It's a theme.) as the latest developments.
Nolan *still* makes us smile everyday by saying something simple but profound; true, now that you think about it; familiar, but with his own twist.
We still call him The Rememberer, and it still fits.
He is a wonderful big brother, only occasionally displaying impatience, and usually outright enjoyment. Zadie mimics him incessantly. We can't forget that her first reliably reproduced sound was "rumm-rummmm" like a car. From the beginning, she saw in him what is unmistakeable: a bursting personality that draws you in and makes you want to know "what is going on inside that mind?!?"
Nolan has friends at school, and makes them at every playground we go to. He is curious about other kids (and their toys...especially their cars) and is often on the receiving end of that curiosity.
A bundle of energy, he loves to walk and climb and adventure and hike and jump and swing and wrestle. He plays superheroes versus bad guys with his Dad and sister (Human Torch, The Enforcers, and Daredevil, respectively.) He's a lobster under the sea of Mumsie's comforter.
He also flips through books on his own for long periods of time, studying the pictures and the words he knows. Nolan can read more than a handful of words and knows all about letter sounds. Once, in a story Dad was reading out loud, someone used a "phone" and Nolan interrupted because he couldn't find the word that started with 'f'.
Books with food in them are devoured by us all - grabbing the item and pretending to stuff it in our mouths. We've been doing this with Nolan for years (can you believe that he's old enough that I can say "for years"!!) He loves this book we have about nutrition and what happens to the food when you eat it and which foods do what for your body. How many four-year-old kids know about the esophagus?
Nolan picks out his clothes for the day and dresses himself. He is mostly proud of this accomplishment, but I think it sometimes scares him a bit, too. Being independent is a big step that sometimes feels like it's away from Mom and Dad. But it's accompanied by his drive to be capable of making what he wants to happen come true so instead of away from us, it's parallel to our purpose.
Yes, there are the bumps (oh, the whining! oh, the testing!) and yes, the usual worries (are you sure you don't want an egg/avocado/meat/milk - protein???) What would parenting be like without them? He's a kid, after all!
Nolan, a day has not gone by that I haven't quietly watched you for a moment, trying to drink you in.
Heart of our hearts.
