Big Changes From 3 Year Old to 4 Year Old

Time passes so quickly when you have multiple children, especially with the younger ones! It seems like it was only a year ago that I had a baby and now I have a full grown little boy!! Every birthday is bittersweet. I am grateful for another healthy and happy year with my children, but it is so sad seeing how quickly they grow up and knowing that they aren’t going to stay little for much longer. I truly love these days (collectively ;)) and treasure all the time I get to spend with them when they are young.

Walker turned 4 this week and it truly feels like he grew up in front of my eyes and in someways he still seems so little. In many ways, he is still the same as he was when he was 3, but in other ways he has developed so much. Parenthood is a fun journey and one that is filled with unexpected things.

This year, Walker started preschool and has started to branch out from being “on me” at all times. He is starting to figure out his independence, but is still very much a mama’s boy and likes to be near me as much as possible (which I am savoring as I know it probably won’t last much longer!). Walker loves to cuddle and snuggle with me and loves to be held and carried. When we were in Jackson Hole this summer, he told us that he wanted his name to be “Carry” and not “Walker” so we nicknamed him “Kerry Stopper Walker.” The boy can run fast, but prefers to be held and not walk 🙂

Walker is full of life and so funny, it would not surprise me if he turns into the class clown one day! He loves making his brother and us laugh. He has such a fun loving personality and really looks up to his brother. While he tends to follow his brother’s lead, he can be independent and enjoys playing alone and doing his own thing rather than following a group. It is fun to see how confident he is and stubborn at times too.

Physically, Walker was potty trained (and night trained) in the past year and has had zero accidents or issues (so thankful!). He has grown a lot this year and has packed on the pounds (he gained 5 pounds from 27 to 32) and grew a couple inches too. He loves to eat and has become a little pickier in what he likes to eat. This next year, I am focusing on healthy eating and making sure we limit the sugar intake (as admittedly, it has been a little too much for my liking!). He loves to eat yogurt and Perfect Bars.

Emotionally, Walker is still very much attached to me and to Reid, his older brother. While he is starting to branch out, he still very much looks to either one of us as a resource and approval. He is learning the ropes of socialization and it is wonderful to see.

Intellectually. This boy loves to do art, he has such a creative energy about him and loves to build things out of our recycling. He loves to color and paint and has amazing fine motor skills–recently, he started writing his name! He even draws the cutest little people, it makes me so happy! He loves to color pictures and glue and cut paper together, he is completely different than his older brother in terms of art. It is fasinating watching his imagination grow as he glues eyeballs to toilet paper rolls and plastic bottles turn into rocket ships (or shi*s as he pronounces). His vocabulary and language has increased SO much this past year and he is talking WAY more than he did at the beginning of 3. It has been a dramatic change in just the past 6 months to see (and hear!).

Toys and Games. Walker loves superheroes, building things, legos, his toy kitchen, dress up and art. He will play with cars and monster trucks, as that is what his older brother likes, but prefers to play with superhero or dress up when his brother is at school. His fine motor skills allow him to play with legos and he loves little lego people. He told me he wants to be a “chef” and loves playing in his toy kitchen and making food. He is quite the helper in the real kitchen too 🙂 While he doesn’t care much about technology and television, he has gotten more interested in it in recent weeks especially shows with superheroes (not sure how I feel about the whole “good guy/bad guy” thing but he really is taken with it).

Overall, from 3 to 4 I have seen the biggest changes in his language and speech and in his coordination and ability to run. I am sure that this next year he will develop his social skills and become increasingly more independent and more individualized from his brother. My hope is that he will continue to be the funny, confident boy and that he will learn more about his likes and interests. I look forward to watching him grow physically and start playing team sports. Walker is my little boy and my mama’s boy–I love him so and am so blessed to be his mama!

What changes did you notice from 3 to 4? What is your favorite stage: baby, toddler or preschool?