Beltman Family News: Collin is FOUR

I'm a month late sharing, but in my defense, the second half of July was a wee bit busy for us with a whole lot of time spent away from Waukee.

On July 12 Collin turned FOUR YEARS OLD!!! I know birthdays happen every year, but I still seem to be surprised that my babies get older every year. This summer especially Collin went from a little boy to a big boy. He is mostly independent, very vocal about what he wants, and very rough and tumble like a typical boy. He only naps by accident (particularly if we get in the car any time after 2 pm) and gets very angry if you suggest he is tired at any time day or night. He loves most foods, but is in that phase of insisting he doesn't like something even if he did the last time we ate it or has never tried it. After a few bites, though, he will devour almost anything you put in front him. His favorite is pepperoni pizza or cold oatmeal with brown sugar in it.

This year Collin will start three morning a week preschool. While the first month of last year was filled with tears at drop off, this year he CANNOT WAIT to get back to preschool. He misses his friends and teachers and likes all the toys they have that we don't. We have been in and out of the preschool a lot this summer and I think that has helped. Last week one of his teachers showed him his new locker for this year and he was beyond excited that it was the one closest to the sink. They have to wash hands as soon as they come in in the mornings and he went on and on about how he has always wanted that locker because then he only has to take "like two steps" to get to the sink. It was adorable and I really wish I had a video of his excitement.

His pediatrician is very happy with his growth and development. He is still small for his age, but is following along nicely on his own little curve. He weighed in at 33 pounds (24%) and was 38 inches tall (8%). She was super impressed with his vocabulary. She has often joked that she is sure our kids just came out talking and never stopped, which I kind of agree with. Some people might say they get that from their mom. ;-)

Overall Collin is our sweet, tough, opinionated little boy. He knows exactly which buttons to push, especially with his big sister, but usually is pretty good at just doing his own thing.

As is typical for the second child, we slacked a little on his birthday party. Instead of throwing a party Brad's family gathered over the fourth of July weekend and we had a barbecue, cupcakes, and just hung out. The poor kid was so confused, though, as to why we kept saying his birthday was July 12, but we celebrated on the 4th. Oh well, he was spoiled either way.

We gave him his gift from us a few weeks early so he could get all the use possible out of it. He had seen this amazing pirate ship water table and since ours was getting pretty old and needed upgrading we splurged a bit.