Saying: Prim is still chatty as ever and cracks us up with her dry wit and inadvertent imitations of us. Recently Larky was whining about something and Prim looked at me, rolled her eyes, sighed and said “Llama drama” (a phrase KC and I like to use to describe the high emotional atmosphere of our house). 

There was also a morning recently where I wasn’t springing out of bed when Prim came upstairs to tell us the “green light’s on” and KC was jokingly giving me a hard time about it (growing a human is exhausting, leave me alone). KC turned to Prim and asked, “What are we gonna do with Mama?” and without missing a beat she responded, “Throw her in the trash!”

Eating: Prim is still proving herself to be a picky peanut, though our approach to mealtime hasn’t changed. She regularly forgoes dinner, taking a few bites and declaring that she’s “done,” only to (of course) ask for a treat later. We don’t have treats every night (not by a longshot), but on the occasions when we do have them, Prim is required to eat more than just a few bites of dinner in order to have one (and trust me, it’s TORTURE for all of us). She does still surprise us with the things she will try (and inevitably she generally ends up loving whatever it is that we’ve cooked). Her current favorite thing, aside from pizza and spaghetti and meatballs, is “casserole” made from spaghetti squash. Go figure.

Prim’s Favorite Things: Prim is very active and loves going to the park, riding her bike, and sailing around the house on her scooter. She also loves to sing (loudly) in the car and negotiate everything (cough, I can’t imagine where she got either of those traits from).

Reading: Prim received a few new books for her birthday and is currently obsessed with The Circus Ship. She also loves Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, All the World and Make Way for Ducklings.

Latest trick: We got Prim a “bike with pedals and a kickstand” for her birthday, just like she had been requesting for months. She’s a pro on her balance bike, so we figured now was a good time for a bigger frame. We had her try a few different bikes at a local shop before her birthday, but found that the pedal brakes were proving to be really difficult for her. After some research, I found this bike that’s specifically designed for kids who are used to a balance bike. Because it has hand brakes instead of pedal brakes, it’s apparently easier for them to master. Even though Prim has been sailing around our cul-de-sac on her balance bike for months now, I was shocked when four days after her birthday she hopped on the new bike and took off on two wheels like a pro.

Favorite toys: Prim received a Woody doll from our beloved nanny for her birthday, and it’s currently her most prized possession. She carries him in the car, on errands, and he’s generally not far from whatever she’s doing at home. She loves showing people her “cowboy doll” and demonstrating how you can pull the string to make him talk. She even secretly wrote her name underneath his boot during rest time one day, which might just be the cutest little sneak ever.

Sweetest things: Prim and Lark are still the sweetest little friends. They still share a room and know that they need to wait for their “green light” to go on in the morning before getting up. They often wake before the light, but spend the first part of the morning together playing, often with Prim climbing into Lark’s crib. Watching them in the monitor as they giggle and chat and seeing their sweet relationship is maybe the best thing about being a parent, period.

Favorite thing about this age: While there’s challenges with every age (hellooo asserted independence!) four is proving to be such a fun, sweet age. Prim is really feeling being four (the confidence!) and the complex conversations we’re having these days are so fun. I love hearing about her day at school (usually the biggest piece of intel I get is about what was for snack) and hearing the funny little anecdotes she holds onto for when KC gets home from work. Prim is outgoing, determined, and just the most inclusive, interested little person. She’s such a joy to be around and the best big sister I could ever ask for, for Larky and Baby #3.