cecilia is 4!

 

dear cecilia-bedelia, 

as i type this, i'm sitting on our front porch on this gorgeous November afternoon (70 degrees!) and you are flying up and down on the swing attached to our magnolia tree, singing with all of your might. "la la la la! la la la la!" then you hop down, run into the house, and emerge with a plastic cup full of water. "mommy, i meed to water the tree so it can grow new leaves!" a few minutes later, you've run back to the backyard to get a shovel so you can scoop up the dirt that spilled when our chrysanthemums fell over in a gust of wind a while ago. "mommy, i meed to water these petunias, too!" then the singing resumes: "ay-o, ay-o, five little ducks went out one day, over the hill and far away! ay-o, ay-o, ay!" 

this little vignette so perfectly encapsulates your exuberant personality. you are always singing, always aware of the people and things around you. you deal with some big negative feelings, too -- tears of frustration if Greta is bothering you or if i tell you that you can't do something. but your sunny mood soon returns, and you make our days so bright! 

Father Aron gave you and Greta beautiful princess dresses! 

this year has been quite the year of adjustment for you, as we moved back from Rome in March, four months earlier than planned due to Covid-19. you really loved being part of Maestra Agata's classe rossa (the preschool class). the language barrier didn't deter you at all, and you still talk about your best friend Francesco and ask if he can come visit you here. even though we haven't done much to formally continue your Italian language learning, you still remember a lot. just last night as we were walking back from our neighbors' house, you said, "why don't i see a pipistrella (bat) in our yard?" and when you swing (still working on learning how to pump by yourself), you chant, "su e giu!" (up and down!). 

at the Vatican Museums with our friend and tour guide!

sometimes you still talk about our house in Rome and how you miss our friends there, especially Sophia, Leo, Edward, Penelope, Elizabeth and Sebastian (all children of the two expat families we became closest with). you frequently ask me how old Edward is and are shocked to find out that he will also be turning four next month. and just today you asked if we can go to see the Castel Sant'Angelo, pronouncing the full name properly. yes, kiddo, absolutely some day, we will again! 

last night in Rome

since we moved back here and i started back to work three days a week, you have been back at ABC's, the same daycare you and Greta attended before we left for Rome. your teachers frequently tell me how well you listen and how you love to help the other kids (sometimes perhaps more than the other kids would like to be helped!). you are always noticing the people around you and picking up on their emotions. you plaintively told me one day, "so many kids want to be my best friend, but i can only have one best friend! but i don't want them to be sad!" #CeciliaProblems 

thank you, Nana, for the Easter treats! 

 

you love to sing the "mumps" (months) of the year song, inevitably leaving out a few. you know all your letters and letter sounds, and after several instances of you starting to sound out short words on your own, i decided to pull out the Alpha-Phonics book that your older sister didn't want much to do with. after two or three short sessions over the past few weeks, you're up to lesson five and can sound out and read several CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words like "dad", "tax", and "sat". your personality is so silly, but you are also one smart cookie!

between your vocabulary and your height (you're solidly in 5T clothes now), you often seem older than you are, especially since you do your best to keep up with the neighborhood squad (who are at least three years older than you). you started riding Greta's old two-wheeler with training wheels this summer and you jump on the trampoline with the crew and yell at them if they bounce you too hard. you've never met a stranger and you'll often go up to adults and start chatting them up, which is so hilarious to watch given your sister's deep-seated skepticism of anyone she doesn't know (and most people she does). the only thing that really scares you is dogs, which is so sad to me because you don't remember Kaiser (he died when you were just over a year old). but you've gotten better at recognizing that their licks and sniffs aren't meant to hurt you. 

at Ocean City, MD, this spring with Nana and Aunt Rebecca!

you love to eat, and i wouldn't be surprised if you ended up with a food-related career because you take such delight in your meals. a frequent refrain within an hour after a meal is: "i'm hungwy!" your favourite foods are spaghetti and meatballs (which you requested for your birthday dinner), hot dogs, babybel cheese, any and all kinds of fruit, pancakes, peanut butter and jelly (cut into isosceles triangles, which i taught you to request because it's so stinking funny to hear you say it), and your all-time favourite: Happy Neals from McDonald's (with 6-piece nuggets, apple juice and apple slices). i'll be so sad when you finally start pronouncing the "m" correctly. 

your first taste of baked Brie in Paris in February. i'm confident it won't be your last.

this fall you started your very first extracurricular activities: ballet and soccer (with Soccer Shots at ABCs, and then the last two practices with the preschoolers on Greta's school team). you love both activities and you were so sad when soccer ended for the season. i love the one-on-one time we have driving to and from your Monday morning ballet class, and at the end of each class, you solemnly report to me whether or not you were a good listener (most of the time, you were!). 

you loved getting to wear your Halloween costume to ballet class!

oh, cecilia, we love you to pieces. please never stop being your hilarious, confident, extroverted self! happy fourth birthday!