Brief Notes of Rachel's First Four Years

At Rachel's school, they do a party on the last friday of each month to celebrate those birthdays that fell during the month. Rachel's was last week, so her party was today, along with her friend Lucy. Part of the party includes having the child walk around a candle representing the sun with the names of each month in a circle around it, once for each year of age, while a parent reads some brief notes about the child's life. Here's what we read for Rachel this time:

• 0-1 yr. Rachel began to give beautiful, warm smiles. She learned to sit, crawl, and walk. Rachel used simple sign language before she learned to talk.
• 1-2 yr. Rachel enjoyed looking at books, and being in the swing at the park. She loved going to painting and music class. One of her favorite foods was fruit, and she would ask for "boooorreeeees" to more blueberries.
• 2-3 yr. Rachel started at school in the toddler room. She started talking even more and learning silly songs. One of her favorite songs was "the Itsy Bitsy Spider." She learned to make muffins and pancakes, sifting flour, cracking eggs, and stirring batter.
• 3-4 yr. Rachel has learned to conquer her fears, like climbing a tall ladder at the park. She learned to trace letters and write her name. Rachel has made friends at preschool and in her neighborhood. She went on her first trip to Disneyland.

We so wanted to expand on those, but had to keep them brief...