My little girl is FOUR!
For one reason or another, this birthday is hitting me harder than the first three.
Kara is 30 lbs, 36 ins.
I have a few theories on why her 4th birthday is weighing heavier on my heart…
For starters, Baby Lemonade isn’t a baby anymore. It is time I admit that she is a little girl. She has the looks to prove it! Every bit of baby pudge has thinned out. Her hair has grown towards the middle of her back.
Like most 4 year olds, her interests have transitioned into watching full length movies & caring for her baby doll. She has shortened her coloring strokes and she’s sounding out the words in her books!
Little sister Nora also had a birthday so that was a big reality check. Two days before Kara turned four, Nora turned TWO! With my youngest entering her second year, there is no denying that time has flown right before my eyes.
For whatever reason, after our pre-natal diagnosis for Down syndrome & into the early days of raising my daughter, I imagined what life would look like when I had a 4-year-old with Down syndrome.
It seemed impossible, yet here we are.
Now its hard to remember what life was like without her!
Anything that accompanies a Down syndrome diagnosis has molded itself into our daily routines & the fact that Kara has Down syndrome just isn’t a big deal anymore.
Therapies, doctor’s appointments, & IEP meetings still keep us extra busy. We have to be conscientious about her immune system and diligent in using her therapy tools to improve speech & gross motor skills.
Otherwise, we’re a normal family. Kara is a normal kid acting like a normal big sister to a normal little sister. I try to instill certain qualities in both of my girls. I focus on these qualities as I guide them through each day.
Responsibility
Kara does well completing her daily chores; for the most part at least, she does give me push back. I place the same expectations on her as I would any other child of mine. She is to:
- Keep her room clean
- Gather dirty laundry
- Set the table before mealtime
- Pick up her toys
- Feed the dogs
Creativity
Kara & Nora both love craft & coloring time. When we’re not playing with play-doh, stickers or painting a picture, we are doing puzzles & building towers with blocks. I sit back & let their imagination run wild. If you follow us on , you’ve probably seen our frequent trips to the mailbox. The girls LOVE to pick out their hats and shoes (& the occasional superhero cape) to walk down the street. It is something we all look forward to!
Creativity is intelligence having fun.
Albert Einstein
Independence
I will give Kara the option to make decisions for herself whenever possible. Otherwise she has control over her clothes & hairstyle (down to the bow), which books she wants to read & which songs to listen to.
I expect Kara to put her self-help skills to use. If she needs assistance, I am always there, but even then she must ask for the help! She continues to show a natural independence.
At four years old she is able to:
- Use the potty
- Open doors
- Use the PS4 controller
- Dress herself with some assistance
- Climb into her booster seat in the car & at the table
- Buckle the top clip of her seat belt
- Feed herself
- Drink from an open cup
- Clean up her messes
- Lend a hand in the kitchen (putting ingredients on the counter, stirring/whisking, preparing certain foods)
- Bathe herself (I’ve even let her shower alone under close supervision – she loves it!)
- Brush her teeth
- Tell her left foot from her right
Kindness
Everyone wants their child to practice kindness (right? I hope so…). Kara is a very kind girl & she shows it by caring for those around her. She loves on her little sister, Nora, and takes care of her every need. She is the type of kid that would rather give up her toy than see someone without one.
Kara is also very affectionate. She refuses to go to bed without telling the pups goodnight. They each get a hug & a kiss on the head before she heads off to her room. Nora gets the same treatment whether she likes it or not 🙂
Courage
The FUN parts of life are easy to get through. It’s the hard, scary & confusing stuff that sometimes leaves us needing a push. Kara has, unfortunately, had many opportunities to show her courage. I admire her bravery each time she’s recovering from a procedure, surgery or illness. It is hard for me to see her confusion, pain and disorientation. She always makes it through, though, & does so with a lot of courage & GRIT!
My girls are always encouraged to step out of their box. I want them to try new things be it food, experiences, or learning a new skill. It takes courage to grow.
Updates
Since the last post in this series, Kara has been through & accomplished a lot. A lot was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic:
- For starters, she finished up her first year of pre-school online, like the majority of kids. Kara did extremely well during her virtual classes and I loved getting to see what she was learning because she can’t usually come home & tell me.
- She wrapped up her first season of dance class by following along online. Although her big recital was cancelled, we spent a lot of time twirling around the living room in her poofy costume.
- Because of the pandemic, Easter was spent hunting eggs around the house. The girls had a BLAST. This was the first year that Kara really understood what to do. It was fun watching them find their Easter surprises.
- The first time we left the house after 10 weeks was for Kara’s one-year follow up from her open heart surgery. I can’t believe how far she’s come. Her scar has healed up nicely. If you ask her where her scar is, she will proudly show it off!
- Her fourth birthday was spent with little sister who was celebrating turning two. We had a socially distanced drive-by party where friends & family were able to come by & give the girls a shout out from the street.
Sweet Memories
Potty Training
On April 1st, as soon as Kara’s feet touched the ground, she bolted to the bathroom. This surprised me seeing as we hadn’t focused on potty training in awhile. I followed her only to be shoved backwards by her tiny hands & have the door shut in my face. As I pressed my ear to the door I heard the sound of her diaper pulling apart & little footsteps on the potty training ladder. THEN I heard the best sound of all! She was going!!! I had to see for myself. I burst into the bathroom to see my big girl on the potty! From then on, Kara was potty trained. I guess its true what they say…
Our patience will achieve more than our force.
Edmund Burke
Summer Fun
This summer, the greatest attraction around our house has been watching Daddy mow the lawn (thanks, COVID). The girls will fight tooth & nail to be the one on his lap & the telltale sign is wearing the ear protection. When Nora gets the ear muffs put on her, she gets the biggest GRIN & Kara hits the floor in a tantrum (& vice versa). Don’t worry, they each get a turn.
Expanding Family
The biggest news is that we welcomed a BRAND NEW cousin to the crew! Tag Russell fits right into the family & is loved beyond words. We got to Facetime them in the hospital & the girls were all over the phone, trying to get a better look at baby Tag. When we finally got to see him in person, they gathered around the car seat while he was still in the driveway (we like to think that Tag is our reward for staying so isolated since the start of COVID). Nora is head-over-heels obsessed with her cousin; However, Kara isn’t too sure about him yet. She gives him the side eye when he enters the room & steals all the attention.
As I said before, Kara is like a lot of other 4-year-olds. She has her good days & bad, thinks farts are hilarious & refuses to eat broccoli. I value every moment I have with these two. Life has never been more FUN. They love life & make us laugh every day.
