Myra at Four.

Myra turned four on January 22, 2017.  Here are the links to her other birthday posts:
Myra's Birth Story
Myra's FPIES Friendly First Birthday Party
Myra at Two
Myra at Three

Sofia Noethe Photography

Sofia Noethe Photography

Wow, I just looked at those posts briefly and it's incredible how much bigger Myra seems now.  She looks so much more like a big kid, especially now that she's got a bunch more hair!  She's got so much more control of her body from running, swimming, and gymnastics to writing and drawing.  The things she thinks of and says blow my mind.  Not too long ago, Myra asked if we could watch Daniel Tiger later that day.  I said "we'll see..." and she said "but si means yes in Spanish!"  She's always observing and thinking which I mostly appreciate ;)  Myra absolutely loves school and it has been so fun to watch her grow, learn, and make new friends completely on her own.

We're still rocking a 7pm bedtime, though she doesn't always go to sleep right away.  She has books and her babies/stuffed animals in her room to keep her busy if she isn't tired right away.  Myra has mandatory quiet time which almost always results in an actual nap.  The last two days she has actually initiated that herself and crawled into bed after lunch.  She's in a twin sized bed (made that switch a couple months ago) but has been sleeping on an ottoman at the end of her bed this week (???).

When I ask Myra who her best friend is, she consistently says, "Niko!" and sometimes adds, "and Rowdy."  They really are best buds.  Whichever kid wakes up first, they demand the other right away.  This morning Niko woke up and immediately started saying, "yaya" over and over.  Myra usually wakes up from her nap first, and she is always bugging me about when Niko will wake up.  They have their moments of wanting the exact same toy at the exact same time, of course, but for the most part they adore each other and are incredibly thoughtful towards each other.  They each have a lovey, Myra has Baby and Niko has a blankey, and they bring them to each other often.

Still happily rear facing

On Myra's birthday, we opened presents in the morning and played with her new Magformers until it was time to go to Pizza Ranch for lunch.

After that, we came home for naps, then went to Eagle's Nest to play.  My dad, Saira, Emaan, and Aydin joined us there.  We went home and played poop potatoes (HILARIOUS).  You hold a potato between your legs and waddle across the room to "poop" it into a bucket.  Then finally, we had chicken nuggets for supper followed by pink star cake as requested.

Myra got into the "curly stuff" and did it all by herself LOL

I interviewed Myra on her birthday (interview from Your Birthday Book) and this is how it went:

What were some of your favorite gifts you got this year? Crayons, yoga mat, Magformers

Tell me what immediately comes to mind when I say these words:
Home: bone.  Favorite color: pink and purple.  School: paint and color.  Brother: monster eating boogers (that was on his shirt).  Magic: when my clock turns blue (this fantastic clock).  Bedtime: when I have my story and song.  Love: up above.

What's the last thing you were sad about? When I got a ouchie on my heel.

What makes you really happy? When Niko doesn't take one of my Magformers.

Are you scared of anything? Uh huh.  I'm scared from when Niko takes my formers.  "When he takes my formers I feel angry."

If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would it be? Elephant pet!

What do you think you'd like to be when you grow up? Dentist!

Do you like your name?  Mmmhmmm.  My name is Dwani.

Who's the last person you kissed? Parker.

At what age is a person a grown up?  The one right by 6.  6 and 6.  Two grown ups are 6.  Some grown ups are 6, some grown ups are 7, some grown ups are 8, (etc. to 20+).

What does mom or dad do at work all day? TAAAAALK.  (I said who does?) You do... talk all day.  (I said what does Daddy do all day?) Sleep (then she closed her eyes).

If you could always get everything you want, do you think you'd always be happy? (nod yes) Like when I want to eat

What do you think heaven is like? She has brown skin.



We love you so, so much, Punkin!!!

Ditch the Attitude.

Staged running selfie to go along with tonight's running-life metaphor. I'm a week into training with a running coach, more on that later. Today's task was 1mi warm up/cool down with a 1mi time trial ("as fast as you can go!") in between-didn't want to do that on a treadmill. Babysitter, check! Freezing rain kept me off the roads, so I headed to our hockey rink's walking track (runners allowed). GPS wasn't working so pacing my warm up was interesting, too fast I'm sure, and I ultimately just shut off GPS and went old school with a stopwatch.

The track is wide enough for two, passing is okay, except there was one (very sweet) couple walking together so once every lap I had a pretty substantial interruption jogging in place behind them until I could scoot around them, usually an aisle in the bleachers. SARCASTIC BONUS: website says 7 laps=1 mile, posted sign says 7.75 (probably truly 7.75), so who really knows what went down today, huh? What I wanted was a clear start, a clear finish, and nothing in my way. Didn't think I needed a reminder, but I guess I did... that.is.not.how.the.world.works. All things considered, I truly believe I did the best I could, I explored a new running/walking space, had a full hour ALONE outside my own house, and I got off the treadmill! All things I wish I could do EVERY day, so I'm trying to ditch the attitude and feel good about today. Coach gave me more credit for my time than I was willing to give myself and I'll have plenty more opportunities to see what I'm made of.