Declan is 4 now!

Time is ticking away and Declan is now four years old! It is fun to read the past posts and to see how he is very similar and also very different from what he was like when he was 2.

Toys and Playing
He still loves all the machinery stuff and still talks about excavators, dump trucks etc. all the time. He still loves his blue truck and boat with the trailer. He also still loves sea doos! Right now he is playing less with the John Deere trucks and more with the cars movie characters -mac, lightning mcqueen etc. He doesn't play with a lot of toys and never really has. He is much more interested in what we are doing. He will help with everything we ask. He has a list of jobs that I get him to do and they include: bringing the recycling from the house to the carport and sorting it, putting stuffed animals nicely on his bed, putting away the silver wear from the dishwasher, cleaning up his toys and putting laundry in the closet. He also does little errands for us like getting pops for us and opening up the tops. He has been doing this for quite some time.

Toileting
Declan has been really great with peeing and pooing in the toilet. He has never been a problem in this area once he got a hang of it when he was just over two. He does everything completely independently and can hold his pee for generally as long as he needs to. Staying dry at night has been something we have decided not to make a big deal. He will when he is ready....however when he turned 4 it was like he just decided that he needed to stay dry and he just started to on his own very consistently all of a sudden. He wipes himself, washes his hands some of the time. He switches between standing up and sitting down. I always say to him. I"f you want to stand up, you got to lift it up" because he was leaving the seat down when he peed and it sometimes got all over. Sometimes I hear him say that to himself sometimes. He brushes his teeth on his own when we ask him to and he does quite a thorough job.

Talking
Declan talks a lot in normal full sentences and he is starting to speed up a little. He has always been very clear with what he says and very understandable. However, every word seemed thought out, now it is just normal and natural. He really listens to what others say and he copies them, including the tone. I have noticed that he was been having a little snobby tone sometimes and then I listen to myself and know exactly why.

Learning
Declan has known his abcs for a long time and also the sounds that each letter makes. He recognizes both upper and lowercase letters. He can also recognize words by looking at the first letter. If I gave him a bunch of words, he can find the correct one with very little assistance. He can point to words with accuracy...though gets a little stuck with syllables sometimes. He has worked through Kumon books and is really great with mazes and tracing. He is a great cutter! He hasn't had much practice with printing any letters other than his name. He can print his name when he thinks about it carefully but not with ease yet. He seems to struggle with the whole 'holding a pencil properly'. He would not choose to write on his own but really needs to be encouraged. This may always be his area of weakness. He has little patience for colouring. I am encouraging it though! I think he will be reading by the end of JK. He knows a few sight words (like, I, see) and can spell cat, dog, mom, dad, Declan, John, Rutledge, and knows his telephone number for a long time.He is really good at memorizing spellings of words. He will say things like frog, hey 'f starts with frog'..and then I'll say, 'yeah, frog starts with f'. He also can count with ease past 20 and can recognize all numbers up to at least 9. For instance, we can tell him a phone number and he can dial it on his own.

Friendships
Just over the last few months Declan has been having a little bit of a harder time with friendships. He sometimes appears more nervous and won't just jump in with a group of people. He sometimes seems a little mad...but then he can shake all of that off and have a great time with other kids. He is like a switch...grumpy and moody and selfish and then if I say something he will put on this fake smile and act all kind and nice. This worries me a little with him going to school because I won't be there to snap him out of his selfish behaviour. He is so influenced by those around him. He picks up bad behaviour really quick and I haven't always had the chance to work with him on this because he was happening at Mrs.Levitt's house with his friend Logan. Declan picked up some bad behaviours but that will happen for the rest of his life. I just hope that I can work with him on this. That is why I would like to be available to volunteer in his class.

Fun
Declan loves being chased around the house. He loves playing with daddy. He is so ticklish and lovable. He will give great big hugs but sometimes he will push me away as well. He is getting to the point where our night time routine is changing a little because before I would always set him on my lap facing me and we would sing songs and rhymes etc. Now he pushes me away when I attempt this...my little boy is growing up.

Sleeping
He got back into napping this previous school year. We still give him quiet times and more than none he sleeps. It doesn't seem to keep him up that late. Generally I would say he would be in bed at about 8:30 when he naps. My view toward early bed times has tapered down now that he is so much more easy to handle. He really exhausted us when he was a toddler, now it doesn't matter so much when he goes to bed. If he goes to bed super late he may sleep into 8 or 8:30...not much past that. But if he goes to bed at 8 or so he normally gets up a little after 7. No longer are the days when i can't wait to put him down.

Sibling
I am so sad that Declan doesn't have any brothers or sisters. We have tried for the last 2 - 3 years and I am so sad about it. I REALLY want him to have siblings. That is why his cousins are so important. I want to make sure that I am a consciious effort to have them over lots so he can play a lot with other kids. He gets a long well with most of his cousins. He adores Justin. It makes it difficult for Declan to play with him when Justin is playing with the girl cousins. Declan loves playing with Breanna but he also loves playing with her next door neighbour Kolten. I'm looking forward to how Declan interacts with Ella this summer. It should be good. He is also getting together with Ava this coming week and I hope that goes okay.

Plans
My plans for Declan -- I just hope that he continues to pursue goals that are strengths for him. I hope that he develops an inner desire to achieve. My plans in my life are to develop a closer more intimate relationship with God and I pray that he follows on this path. Gary is resistant so I pray that Declan won't imitate Gary in that way.

That is an overview of Declan.