Lizzie at 5 Years Old

On June 6, 2012 Lizzie turned 5 years old.  Up until this point she still required us to lie with her while she fell asleep but the night before her 5th birthday I decided I had had enough and it was time for things to change.  I laid down the law that night and since then we have not stayed with her while she drifts off (unless she passes out immediately from exhaustion).  Sometimes we have to go up there a bunch of times but we always try to leave before she is asleep.  If she keeps it up she gets a trip to the toy store to pick something out.

Lizzie graduated from pre-school on June 15th.  They had the kids each (in groups of 3) represent a different country.  Lizzie was Australia so I dressed her in a white t-shirt and khaki shorts and put on a straw cowboy hat with an alligator on her shoulder.  She had a line to recite, "The most famous animals in Australia are Kangaroos, who carry their babies in pouches".  She did a great job speaking clearly and slowly in to the microphone.  They also sang songs for the audience and finally got their diplomas. I'm proud to say I did not shed a tear and perhaps, while a bit excessive, the whole thing was very cute.

Lizzie is very attached to her teacher, Miss Leah.  They have really bonded over the past year and I know she will be greatly missed.  Lizzie has told me she doesn't want to go to Kindergarten unless Miss Leah can come with her.  I'm really happy she has had such a positive experience in pre-school.  She loves going there 4 days a week to see her friends and do lots of fun and creative projects (thanks to Miss Dianne).

On June 16th Lizzie had her first dance recital.  Since February she has been taking a ballet class with Miss Emily at The Rockport Dance Academy.  The class is mainly 5 to 8 year olds so at 4 she was the youngest there and while she didn't always want to go or even focus very well when she was there we kept it up and Lizzie did a great job at the recital.  I know her teacher was afraid that she (and the other little girls) were going to run around the stage and distract the older girls but they all behaved wonderfully and did their best.  Lizzie has said she wants to go back to ballet in the fall.

At only 32 pounds Lizzie is in the 5th percentile for weight.  She actually eats pretty well and I'm convinced she just burns it all off with her endless energy.  The child does not stop moving if she doesn't have to and she absolutely loves to socialize.  She is at her happiest when she is at a friends house or a friend is over at our house.  In fact, we have new neighbors and they have a 3, 5 and 8 year old.  Lizzie is constantly asking to go over and play with them.  I'm pretty sure they are going to regret moving here!

However at 5 Lizzie isn't reacting very well to when we have to say "no" to one of her requests.  Usually it ends in a huge tantrum and sometimes a time out.  Although I'm starting to suspect that she might get low blood sugar because these tantrums seem to happen most often before a meal.  As long as Lizzie is in a good mood she is so much fun to be around.  She loves to do imaginative play with her friends and her brother and sister as well as with the countless toys around the house.  She also loves to color and draw.  I really enjoy watching her in those rare moments when she is happily playing by herself.  But when she is in a bad mood she hits, kicks, spits, screams and can be very nasty to her siblings.  I feel like those times are easing up a bit now that she is 5 so I can only hope they continue to disappear and only appear infrequently.