Things to remember

A list of things I've been jotting down because this age has already been really fun. And mostly because this stuff's too good to forget!

• As of her February 4th well check Zachari is 3 feet 4 inches tall (57th percentile) and weighs 33 pounds (33rd percentile).
• Sometimes she'll yell - with a sense of urgency and a little annoyance - "MAMA! JON JON SMELLLLLS LIKE POOP!" Thank you, Baby Girl. Now the whole block knows that Brother's in need of a dipe change.
• "ostonaut" = astronaut
• "bend-down hot dogs"= kielbasa
• "I can't inside it out." = I need help, this is inside out.
• "Saint Patrisson's Day" = St. Patrick's Day
• Since mid-January she's been dairy-free and we cut it out cold turkey. I think she's doing better as far as congestion and bowel issues. I don't foresee adding dairy back to her diet soon so we'll just wait it out a while longer and see if it helps.
• I often say "BRB!" and though it means "Be right back!", she almost always says it back to me. I don't think she quite gets it, but I think its so cute so I don't mention it.
• She delights in almost all things that Jonathan does. If he walks to her and gives her a hug, she celebrates it. If he tries saying a word for the first time, she praises him for it. If he goes to a new park for the first time, she rejoices in the first-time experience her little brother is getting to experience. I can't say it enough: She is a phenomenal big sister and week by week I am blown away by her compassion, patience, joy and love for Jonathan. The two of them are seriously too much together. My heart swells with pride for those two all the time. 
• For her birthday the Blinns got her The Jesus Storybook Bible. It was a book we'd gotten from the library a while back and I requested it to own because it was so good - for her and for me! She's been reading through it from the beginning with Matt each night at bed and to hear her recount the stories the following morning is so cool. She gets almost all of the details straight and if I try to trick her with the slightest variance to the story, she calls my bluff! 
• Matt taught Zachari to sing the ABC song while she washes her hands so that we make sure she's actually rinsing away all the grime when she's at the sink. Its the cutest thing. She only likes to sing it at home, not at school or at CV if we're not with her. Particular little Priss.
• Like her mama, she's learned the joys of changing into comfy pants after getting home from CV or after a long day. I'm tellin ya family, Comfies are where its at!
• She's really into Baby Gaga these days and the ways she mothers that baby make me hang my head in shame at times (not really, but she's good!).
• Zachari really likes 104.9 The River radio station. I've learned to like it because its important that the lyrics my daughter so easily picks up aren't trash. We don't listen to it all the time, but it brings me joy when she lights up as the radio dial is turned there in the car. She wakes to an alarm on school days and its set to The River. Sometimes the alarm will be on for 20 minutes and she can be found just sitting up in bed, bopping along to the music and slowly waking to the day. Its cute. She calls it "Jesus music" and requests a similar station on Pandora. Whatev.
• When she encounters strangers at the library, playground, store, she's doing really well. She still has a shy streak for sure, but from where we were at the beginning of the school year, she's made lots of progress. And speaking of school...
• She's doing excellent in preschool. Mrs. Napoli and Mrs. Kurth will forever have a special place in my heart as the first teachers that Z ever had and the ones who truly fostered a newfound sense of confidence and independence in my growing girl. A later blog post about our spring parent-teacher conference is coming, but she got a glowing review, just as I would've expected. 
• Some of her favorite things to do include: 
• dancing in the living room to "Jesus music" on Pandora. She'll often roll up the rug so that she can touch the hardwood floor with her bare feet because it feels more like a ballet studio. What?! 
• crafts of any sort - especially if it involves stickers or washi tape ('atta girl, Z!)
• dance parties with Papa or me
• spelling games on my phone or the iPad are a treat, but I love that she gets excited to do them because she's actually learning something!
• laundry with me. Silly as this sounds, its almost as if she craves the time alone with me to sit on my bed, sort out the laundry and fold it. She asks more than once in a week sometimes and the crazy thing is, she's good at it! Its so much faster/easier to do it alone most of the time, but I'm trying to remember how sweet it is that she's interested, she won't always be, and the time she needs with her mama is important so we do laundry. Together. 
• Pretending to be a cowgirl. She wears the cowgirl boots Kim got her for her brithday almost every day, often with the pink, brown and white jeweled cowgirl hat that came with it. She has a dilapidated hula hoop from Ruby's birthday party probably three years ago that she uses as a lasso and she gallops around the house doing this and that. I don't know where she got the cowgirl idea, but she's been running with it for a while now and its cute.
• She still wants to wear a dress every single day, especially on school and church days. I think its fun to have such a feminine little girl and she brings some new styles out of me every once in a while. I'm even hosting a jewelry party in a month... Who am I?!
• Her eating habits have made a complete turn-around! I guess it was something about her turning four that made the lightbulb come on and she no longer screams through meals or turns her nose up or makes rude comments. At her well check Kristen gave her a pep talk about the importance of trying new foods and eating lots of meats, fruits and veggies so maybe that was the magic link? I don't know, but I am SO proud of Z's adventurous palate lately and the fact that she actually asks for vegetables as snacks or as sides for a meal. Praise the Lord!!!!

Zachari and I have been in a really sweet spot since just before her birthday and I'm thankful for that. We're getting along really well, I'm enjoying our intellectual conversations and the time we spend together often makes me laugh. She fills me with joy and I'm often consumed by more love for her than I know what to do with. I'm four years a mom to this sweet lady. What a gift.