Happy Birthday Letter to My Four Year-Old

Dear Lewie,

Where has the time gone?  I just finished reading my letter to you last year, and while you still have that same little three year-old personality, you've, nonetheless, matured and learned so much in just 12 short months.  This year, Mommy and Daddy have really had to "let go" of our baby boy, for the Binky, diapers, and your crib have disappeared.  You are fully potty trained, preferring to use the "grown-up" toilet to your potty chair, you go to sleep in your "big-boy" bed, and the Binky is all but a distant memory.   Your car seat is about to turn into a booster seat, and you're quickly growing out of your 5T clothing.  Before long, I will have to say goodbye to the toddler section of the store for good and embrace the boy's section (gulp).  Do I want to be at this point right now?  My heart is torn.  Part of me is so proud of the little man you're becoming, and part of me yearns for the baby days when I tickled you in your crib, nursed you in the mornings, and yes, even changed your diapers.

You're a regular preschooler now.  You love numbers and letters, and you love to learn.  You also love playing with your friends at school and coming home with interesting jokes (mostly potty-humor) that you've no doubt learned from them.  Just the other day you told me, "You can talk to my butt."  I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or scold you.  It was one of those moments when I scratched my head and thought, now where did that come from?

My little boy in his big-boy bed.  (We still love the Boppy.)

You and Daddy in your new pool.

Showing off your medal at your "Moving Up Party" in Preschool.

This year I'm going to put a new spin on my letter.  Last year, I gave you a list of the top ten things I love about you and your age.  In many cases, those ten reasons still very much apply now, so instead, I'm going to provide a list of the top ten occupations I can see you having when you grow up.  (It will be interesting to see if any of mommy's predictions come true...)

1.  Meteorologist (Weather Forecaster)
You have a keen love for the weather and maps.  Sometimes in the morning you will ask that we turn on the news to watch the weather; other times, you're interested in giving me your own predictions.  "It's going to storm hard, Mommy.  Trees are going to come down."  (Well, I hope not, but after several bad storms this year where trees actually did come down in our yard, I can certainly understand your "futurecast.")  You love the sun, the moon, and the clouds, and you talk a lot about wanting to watch the sun rise or the sun set.   Your favorite book is called The Seasons, and you ask us (especially Gramy) to read it to you again and again.

2.  Elevator Repairman
Okay.  Your fascination with elevators has not gone away.  In fact, I believe it's become stronger.  You request visits to the mall just so we can ride the elevator, and when we pass by large cities in the car, you point to tall buildings asking if we can stop and see their elevators.  You're smart; you know that tall buildings MUST have elevators.  The sliding doors to our bookcase and bedroom closet continue to serve as your "make-believe" elevators too.

3.  Mechanical Engineer
If I were to predict your three Holland Code traits, one of them would be Realistic (this means you like to fix or make things with your hands).   You ALWAYS have very busy hands.  Wherever we go, you cannot let a button go unpressed or a door go unopened.  Furthermore, you love to figure out how things work.  If you're not asking Mommy and Daddy to show you how something works, then you're taking it apart and/or studying it very carefully to understand the "cause/effect" on its own. 

4.  Stand-up Comedian
You love making people laugh.  (That's the "Social" part of the Holland Code in you.)  As early as age two, you were trying to figure out knock knock jokes, so you could begin your stand-up comedy routine.  Now, you've increased your repertoire with fart and poopy jokes.  If you're not calling someone a "poopy head," then you're making the actual sound effects instead.  At times, your silliness is downright hilarious, but at other times, you don't know how to stop yourself.  While you'd like to be silly and crack jokes all day long, you are slowly learning that there are times when you have to be more serious too, especially around people that find potty humor to be offensive.

5.  Actor
While I can see you doing a stand-up routine for an audience in the future (heck, you're able to elicit an audience now), I can also see you take on a dramatic role in a soap opera or an on-stage performance too.  Whether you're happy, sad, angry, or bored, you always manage to show your emotions in an "over-the-top" sort of way.  Just today, you were very upset to learn that both Mommy and Daddy were going to the store without you.  You ran away from Gramy in the yard, ran up to the driveway, and then purposely made a flying leap to the ground for dramatic effect.  "Mommy, Daddy, don't leave me," you whaled.  "I want you to stay here with me." You sobbed and sobbed while burying your little face into the ground.  (I'm amazed at how you can turn a mundane event into a Shakespearean tragedy.)

6.  Politician
I suppose a stand-up comedian, actor, and politician all go hand-in-hand these days.  I'd personally rather that you stay away from any of these three professions, but I can't deny your ability to be diplomatic and to know how to handle yourself in certain public situations.  Even more, you usually know how to act in front of certain audiences.  For elderly people, you blink your eyes a little more, act adorable, and sing sweet songs like "I'm a little teapot" or "Twinkle, Twinkle."  For older kids and teens, you act boyishly cool and confident using phrases like "Cool Dude" or "Oh Man."  You've recently learned a few other "more colorful" words in our language too, but since you've been taught not to say them, you remind us that they're "bad words" when we mistakenly say them, too.

7.   Telephone Operator or Telephone Salesperson
In the future, I can see AT&T, Verizon Wireless, or T-Mobile all fighting over you.  Maybe they'd want to hire you to be their 411 operator or maybe they'd offer you a sweet deal to sell their cell phones, tablets, and computers.  The truth of the matter is that if you're not pretending to be on an elevator then you're pretending to talk to people on the phone.  (Lately a lot of these conversations have been with your "make-believe" sister.  Are you going to be a clairvoyant too?)  With all the phone experience you've been getting in these past few years, at age four, you already have the skill set and passion to work for any phone company.

8.  Lifeguard
Daddy came up with this one, and he's right!  Since you've been reintroduced to the pool this summer, we can't ever get you out!  You can spend hour upon hour swimming, kicking, and jumping in.  In fact, you've become so brave, now you're jumping in without anyone's help.  In a few more years, it may be Little Lewie to the rescue!

9.  Landscaper
This is another one of Daddy's predictions.  Every time Daddy goes to cut the lawn, you're out there with him as his trusty sidekick.  Most of the time, you're begging Daddy to take you for a ride on the lawn tractor.  Other times, you grab you little pretend lawnmower and begin pushing it around all over the place.  Lately, you've developed this huge interest in rocks, sticks, and leaves too.  If you're not collecting and putting all these things into your little pockets, then you're proudly giving them to me as gifts.  "Here Mommy.  I have a leaf for you."  (Mommy, of course, would prefer a flower, but for now, I'm happy getting rocks, sticks, and leaves as presents.)

10.  Chef
You love helping Mommy out in the kitchen.  We make cookies, cupcakes, and smoothies together.  We don't have a play kitchen at home, but surprisingly, when we go to other people's houses, you love playing with theirs.  You pretend to serve me hotdogs, pancakes, or yummy desserts.  Since you love to keep your hands busy, cooking seems to be the perfect hobby;  afterall, you get to press buttons too, whether it's setting the timer on the stove or pressing the "liquify" button on the blender. 

Bonus:  Photographer
You love taking pictures.  I'm not sure if this is an inate passion or an interest because you see Mommy take a lot of pictures, but this is now the second year that you've requested a camera for a birthday present.  Last year you received a Fisher-Price camera, but the picture quality isn't good enough for you.  You're still requesting the real deal.


It's fun watching you grow up Lewie.  In time, some of these little interests will fade away, but others may stay around for good.  One thing I know for sure is that you're a very social little boy who loves routine and loves to fix or maneuver things with your hands.  (A career counselor would label you Social, Realistic, and Conventional.)  Now that the three year-old chapter has ended, it'll be exciting to see what the 4's bring!

I love you with all my heart and am very, very proud of you!

Mommy