Jacob at 4 Years Old

Now that Jacob is almost 4 1/2 years old, I figured I better write about him at the four-year mark. He continues to amaze me. He has a lot of personality and is really beginning to mature into a little boy. He is very smart and is beginning to express himself creatively. The clumsy little toddler is becoming a more coordinated, competitive boy. He reminds me of a little Dan each and every day.

He is obsessed with anything to do with numbers and is already doing calculations in his head. His thing right now while we are driving is to compute what place we are in at a stoplight. The competitive spirit comes out and always wants me to be "first in line" or pass a slow car. Sometimes I think that MarioKart is real to him! He also asked Dan and I one night how old we were (34 and almost 35). He then got a thoughtful look on his face and said "so when Daddy is 45, Mommy will be 44... and when Daddy was 15, Mommy was 14." Really?!! I figured right then and there that math will likely be his strong subject in school like his parents.

Here are some highlights:

*He is extremely curious and likes to ask lots of questions about everything

*He continues to be very particular about most things and needs his routine

*He is very stubborn and can have a hard time in new situations adapting

*He is sweet and absolutely loves his sister

*He is ultra competitive and can turn almost anything into a competition

*He recently figured out how to swing by himself (victory for us!)

*He has an arm on him and can throw a ball and frisbee pretty well

*He can turn on the TV and operate the DVR with no problem, which serves us well especially during those early morning wake-ups

*He is really good at the Wii and could play it all day

*He is getting better at pretend play. He loves to fly his toys all over the house. He also has gone from having his own house, to his own fleet of airplanes, to a farm. Lots of animals live at the farm and he talks about it almost daily.

*He gave up his naps at home last summer, but still takes one at daycare, although that will likely change soon since he has a bit of insommia falling asleep at night.

*We still struggle getting him to listen to us at times, particularly in public situations

*He is still high energy and gets very wound up at times, which is hard to bring back down

*He doesn't like to get messy and flips out when he gets something on his skin

*His coloring is very good and he stays in the lines and is starting to color with more appropriate colors for the picture

*He recently began drawing, although some of it isn't recognizable