We marked off her new height on her growth chart. She is now 43", still one of the tallest in her class. She is growing up but staying around the same weight, so she is slimming down and looking like such a big little girl! Sometimes I just cannot believe how old she is!
A big change in the last few months is no more naps for this girl! She would sleep so deeply during her nap and she wouldn't want to wake up, resulting in a grumpy girl. Also, it would take her an hour to fall asleep at night. Though we have really nipped the bedtime drama in the bud, it just didn't seem fair for her to be sitting up there forever! So, no more naps and it has been great! She still has a rest time, playing games in her room or my room or just watching a movie. That way I still get some alone time! We usually have her in bed now by 7:45pm and she is out by 8pm. It has been a win all around.
She is doing so well at school. She can write both her first and last name. The other day she sat and counted to 60 on her own. She is super excited on the days that she is a helper. Like line leader or calendar duty. The teachers say she is really coming out of her shell and answering questions, speaking up and having fun playing with all her little friends. It is so cute to hear her talking about her "buddies" at school. They have started writing numbers, have science and spanish class and she loves to color and do all the arts and crafts activities.
School Pic
When she is not at school she loves to practice writing letters and numbers. She can now do a 48 piece puzzle by herself. We play many games like Dominoes, Candyland, Bingo and I Spy. She has also taken to Legos. And I mean the tiny little legos. She is good at following the directions and building the pictures that are shown.
Since turning 4 she has started dance class and soccer. This summer she took dance and did dance camp at Bella Ballerina. She had so much fun. While we were happy there, it is super expensive. So we made the switch to one of the main dance studios in Leesburg. Crazy enough it is where I took dance all through high school. I was one of the first students when this school opened and now 18 years it is huge! Her class is ballet, tap and gymnastics. Her favorite being gymnastics. She has been asking to take soccer forever and we finally got her signed up this Fall. She was the only girl out of 5 in the class and rivaled being the "best" with the other little boy who seemed atleast a year older. We continue to be impressed with her strong left kick! She starts an indoor soccer class in January.
At home Whitney still loves to help around the house with laundry, cleaning windows, stocking the toilet paper and helping us cook.
She is such a terrific big sister. She and Colin play together so well and she is very patient with him. Of course, we have heated moments when they both want the same thing, but really they are both good at seeing the other person is upset and handing it over. They spend lots of time playing together in each other's rooms. It is so great they have this relationship since my attention will soon be on the new baby.
Whitney is so excited about the baby. She likes feeling her kick and says she can't wait to help with the baby. Also, clothes she out grows or toys we have packed away she says, "Oh, that can be for the new baby."
We are so proud of our little girl and the polite, funny and caring person she is and continues to become.
