Highway to the Baby Zone: 4 Years Old!

Poor Ronan, I haven't had much time to update his blog since his baby brother was born! I can barely even write a post here and there for baby brother! But, here we are and Ronan is 4 years old! I can't believe I had my baby 4 years ago. Ahhh, I've been reminiscing and looking through old photos and videos of him, especially to compare how he and his brother look at the same age and it makes me so nostalgic...it's very bittersweet. Here I have this new baby and it's been so fun getting to know him and see their differences and similarities. But, at the same time it's so hard to believe that the door closed on Ronan being a baby. He is definitely no longer a little baby - he is such a big boy! A little kid - it's crazy!!

Happy Birthday to this precious boy!! I love him so much!

Last Friday we celebrated Ronan's 4th birthday with our usual that has become a bit of a "tradition". Donuts for the birthday boy when he woke up, then we hung around the house and relaxed, got dressed and then went to Highland Park Pharmacy for some grilled cheese sandwiches, milkshakes and soup. Mind you, I have been going there since I was a very little girl. My ballet dance recitals used to be on the SMU campus when I was 6 years old and every year after the recital, I would be treated to Highland Park Pharmacy's diner yumminess. I always looked forward to it, and I hope Ronan feels the same way! After and early lunch, we went to visit Santa, this time with brother in tow for his first Christmas! We have been to the same Santa since Ronan was 2 weeks old, so this was actually his FIFTH visit to see Santa. That is crazy to me!

Ronan and Remy visit Santa

Saturday we had a little birthday party for Ronan and he had a great time getting his gift from Mom and Dad (his very own mini bounce house!) and having his friends over to play. I was so busy tending to baby brother that I didn't get nearly as many pictures this year which makes me sad! But we had a great time and that's all that matters!

Ro had his 4 year checkup at the pediatrician on Tuesday. It was no surprise to me that his "growth is AWESOME" according to his doc (despite the fact he barely eats anything anymore unless it's crap food, :::sigh:::). Here are the stats:

Weight: 38 pounds (up from 32 lbs 6 oz at his 3 year visit) - 75%
Height: 3 ft 5.5 in (up from 3 ft 2.5 in at his 3 year visit) - 75%
BMI: 15.51 (not much change from 15.36 at his 3 year visit which is a good thing) - 50%

This year they also checked his vision, he is 20/30 in the right eye and 20/25 in the left eye but the nurse indicated this could be inaccurate since he wasn't having much of reading the letters! He also got his hearing checked and got three boosters (OUCH!). Poor kid was so upset I had warned him ahead of time that he would get a little "pinch pinch" and we would take him for ice cream afterwards but it was really more that a "pinch pinch"...it was 3 pinches, one of the thigh of each leg and one right below his bottom behind one leg. Poor kid. He cried so hard and was so upset. I feel bad that I didn't accurately warn him since I thought the shots would be in his arm. Bad Mommy. But he did great and we not only took him for ice cream, but also for "cheese hamburgers" (requested by Ro himself) and fries. He ate every bite of his burger, almost all his fries and a bunch of Mom's tortilla chips. Luckily that filled him up enough that he barely ate any ice cream. We watched some tv when he got home, took a bath and he fell right to sleep at bed time. Actually telling his Daddy that he was "ready to go to sleep". Poor baby! He was worn out.

Ronan is amazing us everyday with how much he knows, and his vocabulary is incredible! I honestly had no idea that 4 year old's "knew" so much. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to ages and development levels of any children I have known over the years, because I always thought kids were so hard to understand for such a long time. Not Ronan! I have no trouble at all understanding him and his sentences are crazy long and involved. It's just so cool to see. He makes up songs, can effectively communicate what he wants and needs, and has the best sense of humor. He is certainly challenging these days as well. He is extremely argumentative and knows everything and the whining can be unbearable. Lo and behold, we got a sheet of paper at the doctor's office that mentions just that - how argumentative 4 year olds are, and how they "know it all". We just still have to make sure he knows that mom and dad are boss. Even though he may seem like he is walking all over us, he is actually still a very sensitive kid and shows empathy and caring for others all the time. We had a "parent teacher conference" at his school a few weeks ago and his teacher made sure to point out how much Ronan listens and cares for others, so I couldn't be more proud!

The last year has definitely proved to be a big challenge for us and for him, but he is the sweetest boy with the best heart. I just adore him and think he is the cat's meow!

Waiting at the doc's office